SWAN Hill jockey Harry Coffey ended a long weekend at the office with victory in the $40,000 Sportsbet Fast Form Handicap over 1600m at Mornington on Sunday afternoon.
Coffey turned out at Benalla on Friday afternoon before racing into town to ride under lights at The Valley; was at Sandown on Saturday; and then down to Mornington on Sunday. Where one of his rides was on the Ciaron Maher trained Igotcha in the sixth of the day – and when he finally landed his first winner for the weekend.
He said he was rapt to pilot the five-year-old mare, he was riding for the third time in succession, to victory.
“When she sort of first kicked off her career back in the Ballarat days, I really liked her then,” Coffey said.
“She’s had a few little issues along the way after she won her first start really well, since then she’s just been a bit off and on.
“So it’s very good her owner has been patient with her and gave the Maher team the time needed. Hopefully after today’s win she can build on that and put a few together and really start to take her career in the way we all thought she might early on.”
Igotcha now has two wins in seven starts and has never finished further back than fourth.
However, the success came within a nudge of being derailed when she was almost punted into the car park as Matawai shifted out just as Coffey was taking off around the field.
But in the end the sheer class of the mare showed through.
Coffey agreed everyone “did their part” and in the end, she put the field to the sword.
“I wanted to follow Luke (Luke Nolen on race favourite Alma Rise) as far as I could in the race but he was riding very neatly and I sort of fell into it the past couple of times, riding a little bit pretty myself and then, after pulling out, her not quickening as much as I thought she might,” he explained.
“But today, third up, I was able to expose her and let her build into the race and she really enjoyed that.
“Although she probably had a little bit of a look around in the middle stages down the straight. So I think she will improve again – and she may be able to get out over more distance in time as well.”
Coffey also rode her brother Heart of Puissance a couple of times.
“I had a little bit to do with and got him beat in a Terang Cup he should have won,” he said.
“She is probably not quite as classy as he was, and we probably never saw the best of him either, but you can tell they are full siblings.
“And if she can continue to follow in his path and continue to build confidence and strength and also maybe get out a little further in distance maybe we could see more similarities in what class they get to.”
