Solar Coasting at St Leonards
Saturday, 01 Mar 2025
By Edward Sadler – Racing.com
Tom Sadler and Solar Coaster share a greater bond that goes beyond the typical horse and jockey relationship.
Formerly trained by Henry Dwyer, Sadler first came across Solar Coaster as he was making the transition from being a flat jockey to a jumps jockey.
“I think I’d done a little bit of schooling on him before I decided to have a crack over the jumps,” Sadler recalled.
“He was just a real character and very, very good for a novice rider, so I always liked him.”
Sadler rode Solar Coaster ten times throughout his career and labelled his win on the grey gelding in a steeplechase at Pakenham as his favourite victory from his riding days, ahead of his G3 Easter Cup success in 2017 and his other metropolitan winners of significance.
“There’s just a bit more of a connection with the jumpers because there’s so many less races, you’re riding the same horses a lot more often, so you have more time with the same horse,” Sadler explained.
“He was a real character; he’d almost talk to you when you were on him. It’s a bit more like the association you have with your dog or cat more than just a certain horse in the stable that you have something to do with once every Tuesday.”
Solar Coaster retired from racing in 2021 and has become a key part of the next transition in Sadler’s career in making the step from jockey to trainer.
The now eleven-year-old resides at Henry Dwyer’s training property at St Leonard’s on the Bellarine Peninsula where Sadler trains from and is a stable favourite, particularly for his wife, Sarah.
“It’s better than it is for most people,” Sadler said of life these days for Solar Coaster.
“He lives out in the yard with another horse at the top with an ocean view. Sarah does a bit of jumping with him here and there.
“He’s become a great pony, all the horses love him, he loves them, and he takes his job (as lead pony) very seriously. When horses haven’t been to the beach before, he takes them into the water, so we lead the horses off him instead of going in with a rider and instead of being a bit dubious or a bit apprehensive about going in, they just trust him and follow him in.
“He’d go to the beach pretty much every day, lives out in his yard, he’s got a pretty great retirement to be honest.”
Tom Sadler and Solar Coaster share a greater bond that goes beyond the typical horse and jockey relationship.
Formerly trained by Henry Dwyer, Sadler first came across Solar Coaster as he was making the transition from being a flat jockey to a jumps jockey.
“I think I’d done a little bit of schooling on him before I decided to have a crack over the jumps,” Sadler recalled.
“He was just a real character and very, very good for a novice rider, so I always liked him.”
Sadler rode Solar Coaster ten times throughout his career and labelled his win on the grey gelding in a steeplechase at Pakenham as his favourite victory from his riding days, ahead of his G3 Easter Cup success in 2017 and his other metropolitan winners of significance.
“There’s just a bit more of a connection with the jumpers because there’s so many less races, you’re riding the same horses a lot more often, so you have more time with the same horse,” Sadler explained.
“He was a real character; he’d almost talk to you when you were on him. It’s a bit more like the association you have with your dog or cat more than just a certain horse in the stable that you have something to do with once every Tuesday.”
Solar Coaster retired from racing in 2021 and has become a key part of the next transition in Sadler’s career in making the step from jockey to trainer.
The now eleven-year-old resides at Henry Dwyer’s training property at St Leonard’s on the Bellarine Peninsula where Sadler trains from and is a stable favourite, particularly for his wife, Sarah.
“It’s better than it is for most people,” Sadler said of life these days for Solar Coaster.
“He lives out in the yard with another horse at the top with an ocean view. Sarah does a bit of jumping with him here and there.
“He’s become a great pony, all the horses love him, he loves them, and he takes his job (as lead pony) very seriously. When horses haven’t been to the beach before, he takes them into the water, so we lead the horses off him instead of going in with a rider and instead of being a bit dubious or a bit apprehensive about going in, they just trust him and follow him in.
“He’d go to the beach pretty much every day, lives out in his yard, he’s got a pretty great retirement to be honest.”
