Colin McIlfatrick was apprenticed to James Bethell at Wantage and rode seven winners on the Flat before graduating to the role of a jump jockey. The first of those seven came on Bethell’s veteran 10-year-old Prominent in a mile-and-a-half apprentices’ race at Newbury (a meeting transferred from Ascot) on April 30, 1977. He won on Prominent again at Doncaster in June and also rode him to victory in the Steve Donoghue Apprentice Handicap over the Epsom Derby course.
The following season Colin and 11-year-old Prominent won the mile-and-a-quarter Coronach Handicap in April, then won an apprentices’ handicap at York’s May meeting. Twelve months later they combined to win another apprentices’ race, this time at Goodwood. Colin’s last winner on the Flat came in yet another apprentices’ race, at Ascot (a meeting transferred from Goodwood) on Crowning Moment in August 1979.
Colin Mcllfatrick’s seven Flat winners were, in chronological order:
1. Prominent, Newbury, April 30, 1977
2. Prominent, Doncaster, June 4, 1977
3. Prominent, Epsom, August 30, 1977
4. Prominent, Nottingham, April 17, 1978
5. Prominent, York, May 17, 1978
6. Prominent, Goodwood, May 22, 1979
7. Crowning Moment, Ascot, August 24, 1979
Later that same year, on November 22, 1979, Colin had his first ride over jumps on Dancing-in-Irish for Jim Old in a handicap hurdle at Towcester, finishing eighth of ten finishers. He rode his first winner under National Hunt rules on Old’s novice hurdler Linatea at Taunton on May 20, 1980. His only winner of the next campaign was achieved on Old’s handicap chaser Woodham at Wincanton on February 21, 1981.
The following season his winners included Nick Mitchell’s Seymour Lady in a selling hurdle at Fontwell in October 1981. He rode just two winners the following season, 1982/83, namely selling hurdler Top Gold at Uttoxeter on March 19, and Devil’s Brig for owner-trainer Richard Shaw at Towcester on April 2, 1983.
Colin increased his tally to five winners from 93 mounts in the 1983/84 season, comprising a pair of conditional jockeys’ chases on Richard Holder’s The Wurzel at Worcester in September and Lindsey Bower’s Biddy Charley at Fontwell in October; novice hurdler Step Ashore up at Carlisle, also in October; plus selling hurdler Mesa Kid at Uttoxeter and handicap hurdler Fair City at Nottingham, both in March. Those were among the final victories of his career.