Bittersweet win as forced retirement looms

VETERAN horseman Terry Coelli registered a bittersweet victory in Young yesterday.

While he is thrilled with the win, Coelli is saddened by the prospect it could be his last.

In fact, it may even be the last time Coelli trains a runner let alone winner.

To Coelli’s dismay he is unlikely to be granted a license next season after 70 years training horses!

Add the fact his winner is on the market and Coelli may have inadvertently bowed out on a successful note.

“I’m 88 and struggled to get them to clear me to train this season,” Coelli said. “I doubt the doctors will give me a pass on the physical this year so this could be my last hurrah.

“I started working horses with Tassie Moore when I was about 18 and now I’ll be forced to stop.

“I tried to explain I only feed them and help put them on the jogger, but it didn’t get me far.

“Hopefully I can get a stablehand license and still do some things with horses around the stable.”

Fittingly, Coelli’s triumph came with a filly named Beryl…which just happens to be his wife’s name.

“I saw the filly’s name and it is the sole reason I bought her,” Coelli’s grandson Grant said.

“I’m rapt Pop got a win with a horse sharing the same name as Nan, especially considering it could be his last.”

Driven by Jackson Painting, Beryl led throughout from barrier two as Hoi An and Irish Speed filled the placings.

In what doubled as her debut for Coelli, the daughter of Modern Art rated 2:04.2 over 2100 metres.

“She went along really well,” Coelli said. “I’m very happy with her.

“Depending on whether she is sold, I will give her another run in a couple of weeks.”

Having witnessed a lot of changes during the past seven decades, Coelli cites the loss of bookmakers as the worst thing to happen to the industry.

“Gone are the days you could set a horse up for a good plunge,” Coelli said. “That all stopped when bookmakers became a thing of the past at our meetings.

“That and having crowds, especially families, at the racetracks are things I think the industry is poorer for these days.”

Having prepared his share of handy performers, Coelli rates No Identity and Holy Chip as his best.

Coelli trained No Identity to capture the 1990 Simpson Sprint at Harold Park before the son of Allwood’s Trick won the Moonee Valley and Ballarat Cups at his last two starts in the care of Brian Gath.

“No Identity won nine of his first 10 starts and won five in a row three times,” Coelli said. “He could have gone a lot further if it wasn’t for injury.

“He was my best horse. The best driver I have ever seen is Allan Harpley…he could win on a rocking horse!”