Don Coletti

Article by Chris Pitt

Born on May 10, 1932, Donald Anthony Coletti served a five-year apprenticeship (1947-1952) with Malton trainer Ernie Davey. He rode his first winner, Wings Ashore, in a Catterick apprentices’ race on July 29, 1949.

He rode seven winners the following year, three of them on Davey’s sprinter Fair Seller, who he rated as the best he rode. But the successful run soon came to halt with no winners in 1951 and just one in 1952, after which he gave up the idea of being a jockey.

He did not resume his career until 1958, when he rode two early season winners on a three-year-old named Belcomo, trained by Mick Easterby. Later that year, on October 4, he married Julie Hogg, niece of Malton trainer Albert Cooper.

He then reinvented himself as a National Hunt jockey, taking out a licence for the 1958/59 campaign and riding as first jockey to Harry Whiteman who was then training at Malton. He rode his first winner over jumps on Whiteman’s selling hurdler Shahspeg at Market Rasen on Boxing Day 1958, followed that with victory on Profit the following day and again on New Year’s Day, going on to enjoy a successful first season with a total of seven winners.

He rode four winners in each of the next two seasons (all of them for Harry Whiteman) and then joined forces with Tommy Dent, who trained at Rufforth, near York. He had three wins in 1961/62 but his fortunes declined thereafter, drawing a blank the following season and scoring just once, on Jim Twibell’s novice hurdler Fulstar, in 1963/64. He relinquished his licence the following season.

It was not until 1970 that his name once again appeared in the racing pages, by which time he was working as head lad to Malton trainer Snowy Wainwright’s stable. He renewed his jump jockey’s licence and rode his first winner for more than six years on Wainwright’s novice hurdler King Morgan at Leicester on November 24, 1970. He rode one more winner at the start of the next campaign, on Wainwright’s selling hurdler Abbey Classic at Southwell, but did not renew his licence after that season. Having twice ‘retired’ and made comebacks, this time the retirement was permanent.

Don Coletti rode a total of 32 winners. These were, in chronological order:

1. Wings Ashore, Catterick Bridge, July 29, 1949

2. Fair Seller, Newcastle, April 11, 1950

3. Olivella, Lanark, April 29, 1950

4. Fair Seller, Redcar, May 29, 1950

5. Hatfield Chase, Bogside, June 3, 1950

6. Pellon, Hamilton Park, September 25, 1950

7. Rivock, Thirsk, September 29, 1950

8. Fair Seller, York, October 4, 1950

9. Xebec, Stockton, July 5, 1952

10. Belcomo, Thirsk, April 18, 1958

11. Belcomo, Hamilton Park, May 12, 1958

12. Shahspeg, Market Rasen, December 26, 1958

13. Profit, Market Rasen, December 27, 1958

14. Profit, Manchester, January 1, 1959

15. Rannock Moor, Uttoxeter, March 14, 1959

16. Rannock Moor, Manchester, March 28, 1959

17. Brother Victor, West Norfolk Hunt (Fakenham), April 25, 1959

18. Brother Victor, Wetherby, May 18, 1959

19. Profit, Wolverhampton, November 23, 1959

20. Rannock Moor, Wolverhampton, November 24, 1959

21. Profit, Wolverhampton, December 26, 1959

22. Rannock Moor, Nottingham, February 1, 1960

23. London Rocket, Uttoxeter, September 17, 1960

24. Salmon Queen, Perth, September 21, 1960 (dead-heat)

25. Salmon Queen, Manchester, January 2, 1961

26. Ritchi Titchi, Haydock Park, January 7, 1961

27. Top Shelf, Nottingham, February 6, 1962

28. After Me, Newcastle, March 10, 1962

29. Royal Course, Uttoxeter, March 24, 1962

30. Fulstar, Sedgefield, March 14, 1964

31. King Morgan, Leicester, November 24, 1970

32. Abbey Classic, Southwell, August 31, 1971