FOR a man who has been given soul-crushing information, Aidan Coleman is remarkably composed when we meet in Moreton-in-Marsh, a stone's throw from his home in the Cotswolds.
The essence of the bad news? "I was a jockey last week, now I'm an ex-jockey," he says.
The beginning of the end came in June last year when Aidan's mount Ascension Day, two lengths ahead in a maiden hurdle at Worcester, ran out at the last, crashing through the wings. Aidan knew his fall was serious - not from the pain, for which jockeys have next-level thresholds - but when he saw the angle of his leg. After exemplary care on the track, he was taken by ambulance to the local A&E, still in his silks, and waited his turn - overnight - to be treated.
The injury to his knee wasn't straightforward; it took two operations and extensive rehab and, come Christmas, he realised progress had stalled, and riding out wasn't working at all. After a consultation with his surgeon the Monday before Cheltenham (his internal calendar is still set to race meetings), scans and discussions that included Jerry Hill, the British Horseracing Authority's chief medical advisor, Aidan was given the simple but devastating news: "This knee is not going to take being a jockey." And just like that, it was all over.
A GED 35, Aidan can acknowledge he's had a good run, while still wanting just a few more years "I wanted to get to 40, that's the cut-off point for jockeys". He's had "literally thousands" of messages of support since the news became public; some advise him to take time to regroup, others congratulate him on his career, and the rest reassure him that whatever comes next will be exciting too. They've all helped but the fact remains.
"It's life-changing for me, I've been a jockey for the best part of 20 years and now I'm not," he says.
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