Alan Brian Coogan was born on June 22, 1954, and served a five-year apprenticeship with Humphrey Cottrill at Newmarket.
He rode his first winner on Levantine, trained by David Morley, at Wolverhampton on March 17 1975.
The following month, April 26, 1975, he married Janet Seale. She gave him a son, Vincent Lindley.
Always known as ‘Scobie’ Coogan, he was retained by Willie
Musson and Jim Leigh. He was based in Newmarket and enjoyed his best season in 1980/81 with ten winners, six of them for Willie Musson. He rode five of those winners at Southwell and won the Nottinghamshire course’s 1980/81 jockeys’ championship.
He rode around 80 winners altogether in Britain and France before eventually turning to training.
Away from horses, Alan enjoys wine-making and song-writing.
