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Coome to continue his rise in training ranks

4 May 2020

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By Glenn Davis

Adrian Coome is hopeful his rapid rise up the State’s training ranks will continue when he saddles a team of eight runners at Rockhampton on Tuesday.

The former top Rockhampton jockey quit riding to take up training in October 2018, and is already in the top 20 trainers in the Queensland trainers’ premiership.

Since retiring from the saddle, Coome has trained 53 career winners and is currently 18th in the State with 31 wins this season.

Coome is the first to admit his success has exceeded his own expectations but is thankful for the support he’s received from owners.

“I didn’t think I would be there (in the top 20 trainers) so soon as I’ve only been training about 18 months,” Coome said.

“But I’ve had great support from owners and I’ve got 30 horses in work.”

In his riding days, Coome rode 975 winners and was the State’s leading rider three times, winning seven Rockhampton jockeys’ premierships and two in Mackay.

Among his list of achievements was winning the Rockhampton Cup three times as well as three Rockhampton Newmarket, and three Townsville Cups.

Coome rates Poetic Heart in the Open Handicap (1600m) as his best hope on the eight-race program.

Poetic Heart is chasing a hat-trick of wins and his fourth from his past six starts and will again by ridden by in-form apprentice Elyce Smith who rode a treble at Emerald on Saturday.

Smith, who has outridden her provincial claim, rode six winners at the previous Emerald meeting on April 7.

The 22-year-old is studying to be a school teacher and is likely to quit riding next year.

“Poetic Heart won his last start easily over 1500 metres and has pulled up well,” Coome said.

“Ellie is riding him again as she’s won on him the past two starts and she seems to clink with him.

“He ran fifth in the Rocky Cup last year and if it’s on and he’ll need to spell after this race to prepare for it.”

Coome also is confident about the prospects of Hezhome in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap (1200m).

Hezhome has started only twice for Coome since transferring from Roma trainer Craig Smith.

The son of Better Than Ready finished third in his stable debut at Rockhampton on April 7 before winning a Class Six over 1300 metres two weeks later at the same track.

“Hezhome is going from a Class Six back to his own age and I’m expecting him to be hard to beat,” Coome said.

Racing Queensland webnews - May 4