Denis Coakley

Denis Coakley

Denis John Coakley was born in 1959 in County Cork, where his parents were in the hotel business. As a youngster he did a lot of show-jumping and won plenty of competitions. Having also been involved in pony racing from an early age, he joined John Kiely’s County Waterford stable as an amateur and rode on the Irish point-to-point circuit, achieving his first win at the age of 17. 

He rode 23 winners – proving that he was already an accomplished horseman – before leaving for Australia, aged 20, to further his experience. There he worked at Tony Onion’s stud, three hours out of Sydney. He loved the life and rode in amateur races – ‘picnic meetings’ as they were known on the professional circuit. He partnered two winners from four rides at one of Canberra’s big meetings and had five altogether. During the Australian summer he joined William Hastings-Bass (later Lord Huntingdon), newly arrived from Newmarket at Warwick Farm, Sydney, riding trackwork for him. 

When Denis’s visa ran out in August he wrote to four British trainers seeking a position as an amateur rider and was accepted by leading northern trainer Gordon W. Richards. Denis returned the compliment by winning on his very first ride for the stable, that first success coming at Perth on September 2, 1983, when 10-year-old Burelor beat four rivals to land the Errochty Handicap Hurdle by eight lengths. 

He had one more win before, on the trainer’s advice, joining the professional ranks, his initial victory in that sphere coming at Doncaster on December 16, 1983, when Jennie Pat just got the better of a battle with Tom Sharp to claim the Saucy Kit Hurdle, named after the 1967 Champion Hurdle winner. 

On February 11, 1984, Denis approached the final flight in front on Richards’ novice hurdler Pebble Island with the race apparently in the bag, but the horse failed to rise at the last and came down in a heap, squashing Denis beneath him and cracking one of the jockey’s vertebrae. In hospital he was told he would be on his back for a month. 

But Denis had other ideas. Five days later, having been transferred to a hospital in Carlisle, he persuaded the doctors there to let him out. He was back in the saddle in less than three weeks and was in the winner’s enclosure again ten days later after winning a Sedgefield novices’ hurdle on the stable’s Roman Mariner.

His first professional winner, Jennie Pat then provided Denis with his biggest success on Grand National day 1984 when beating Buranpour by a length and a half in the Glenlivet Hurdle, a race for four-year-olds.

After finishing with a dozen wins in that season, Denis had ten in 1984/85, including three on another four-year-old hurdler, Jim Thorpe. The same combination went on to land the valuable Allinson Bread Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on November 9, 1985 and later in the season finished fourth in the 1986 County Hurdle at the same course.

By that time, Denis had ridden his last winner when gaining his fourth success on Welfare when the seven-year-old had a length and a half to spare over Unscrupulous Judge at the end of the West of Yore Handicap Chase at Catterick on November 23, 1985.

Denis had his final ride at Market Rasen on August 16, 1986, when Atkinsons was well beaten in the Sleaford Novices’ Hurdle. He had had 28 victories spread over three seasons, all bar one of them for Gordon W. Richards.

Cracked vertebrae apart, he had been relatively lucky with injuries during his career, a broken arm and the inevitable fractured collarbone having been his only other significant injuries sustained in a race. Ironically, his most painful moment was a couple of fractured toes sustained when his pony, all of 12 hands high, stood on his foot. 

With an urge to travel once again, Denis then moved to America where he rode as stable jockey for three years to champion jumps trainer Janet Elliot. He also spent time with Neil Drysdale, the champion Flat trainer. 

In 1988 Denis’s links with Lord Huntingdon came to the fore once again, when he was asked to return to England as his assistant trainer. Together they formed a formidable team, firstly in Newmarket and then in West Ilsley when Lord Huntingdon became the Queen’s trainer at West Ilsley Stables. During these years Denis proved to be an integral member of the team, being responsible for such horses as Indian Queen and Drum Taps.

Denis started training from Keeper’s Stables, West Ilsley, in 1999, renting the yard from Lord Huntingdon following the latter’s retirement that year. Amongst his best horses to date have been Gabriel’s Lad, winner of the 2014 Victoria Cup, Group 3 and Listed winner Miss Marjurie, and Hors de Combat, a winner at the 2018 Dubai Racing Carnival. 

Dennis Coakley’s British wins were, in chronological order:

1. Burelor, Perth, September 3, 1983

2. Percipient, Bangor-on-Dee, November 8, 1983

3. Jennie Pat, Doncaster, December 16, 1983

4. Roman Mariner, Sedgefield, March 13, 1984

5. Jennie Pat, Liverpool, March 31, 1984

6. Moon Dreamer, Wetherby, May 9, 1984

7. Percipient, Hexham, May 12, 1984

8. Starmase, Uttoxeter, May 17, 1984

9. Only Money, Bangor-on-Dee, May 19, 1984

10. Moon Dreamer, Worcester, May 23, 1984

11. Percipient, Southwell, May 26, 1984

12. Preben Fur, Southwell, May 26, 1984

13. Silver Dreamer, Bangor-on-Dee, August 18, 1984

14. Rejuvenator, Market Rasen, October 19, 1984

15. Charles Duke, Ayr, January 2, 1985

16. Jockmabel, Kelso, February 1, 1985

17. King’s Brig, Haydock Park, March 2, 1985

18. Final Argument, Market Rasen, March 8, 1985

19. Rejuvenator, Sedgefield, March 12, 1985

20. Jim Thorpe, Kelso, March 20, 1985

21. Jim Thorpe, Hexham, May 25, 1985

22. Jim Thorpe, Cartmel, May 29, 1985

23. Welfare, Market Rasen, August 17, 1985

24. Tartan Triumph, Perth, October 9, 1985

25. Welfare, Uttoxeter, October 27, 1985

26. Welfare, Sedgefield, November 5, 1985

27. Jim Thorpe, Cheltenham, November 9, 1985

28. Welfare, Catterick Bridge, November 23, 1985 

With thanks to Alan Trout for providing the bulk of this article and full list of winners.