A SIX horse race, an odds-on favourite, and Harry Coffey saddled up on 12/1 shot Musgrave over the classic mile at Ballarat on Wednesday.
What could go wrong?
Well, if you were the favourite, apparently just about everything.
Because despite having the run of a very easy race, Blushing Tycoon might still be a little red in the face after finishing the $40,000 Porter Plant Handicap out of a place despite the best efforts of superstar jockey Blake Shinn.
And while Shinn was working out how to win the race, Coffey was busily taking every short cut which presented in the small field, with every move inching him and Musgrave closer to the business end of the running.
Until, with the finish line almost within reach, he found one last sneaky gap through which he duly exploded to win the race – and with room to spare.
Proving patience does pay.
Before the winning gap appeared for the Lindsey Smith trained five-year-old gelding, even the course commentator had let Musgrave drop off his radar while he tracked the favourite and the other front runners.
Smith stable representative Pat Cannon, speaking post-race, said he thought his horse was going to be the bad luck story of the race “until Harry was able to navigate him through that gap and he just attacked the line”.
Coffey agreed the gap could not have come at a better time.
“It was very lucky, otherwise it might not have been a nice ride, but when you win, everyone is forgiving,” Coffey said.
“Because it’s not often in a six horse field you are able to find everyone’s backside, but I managed to do that.
“This horse is going so well at the moment, and his turn of foot was able to help us overcome the trouble in which we found ourselves.
“It would have been an interesting race to watch, he’s a tricky horse so he probably thrives on that scenario of being able to trick him into running well.
“And that’s what he’s doing at the moment, and he’s full of running through the line and today was no exception – although he feels a little like if you get there too early he can stop and wait.
“But that certainly wasn’t the case today, I got there as late as possible.”
Coffey also managed a couple of seconds at Ballarat while good mate, Kerang’s Jye McNeil, also picked up his own win, taking out the $37,500 Pipe Pro Directional Drilling Plate over 1200m with very smart first starter Legacy Bound.
The win was some comfort for Coffey, who had headed to Rosehill Gardens at the weekend with a good book of rides – including his Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa in the $1.5 million Tancred Stakes over 2400m – only to see the meeting abandoned because of rain.
However, it was rescheduled for Tuesday, and the Swan Hill jockey nearly added another Group 1 to his resumé when the Duke split the race favourites, getting within less than a length of victory behind Dubai Honour, with Vauban finishing third.
