HARRY Coffey of Swan Hill has made a name for himself as a committed and skillful young jockey, and in the Lexus Melbourne Cup he will be taking the reins of French thoroughbred Port Guillaume.
Mr Coffey said Port Guillaume had “brilliant” form in Europe before he came to Australia to race in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
“Unfortunately he didn’t make it last year, but he has this year,” Mr Coffey said.
“His runs in Australia have been in and out, but he got a pass mark in his last run in the Caulfield Cup, and I see him as a nice top five chance.”
Port Guillaume was backed from $101 to $41 in the Caulfield Cup, finishing at number 10 out of 18, and beaten 9.15 lengths from the winner Incentivise.
Under Mr Coffey the horse’s chances might improve – or at least Port Guillaume will bring home a significant payday if backed by punters.
As of Monday, Port Guillaume was at $126 in the betting pool.
The horse to watch, according to Mr Coffey, is Twilight Payment, which will be rode again by Kerang’s Jye McNeil.
“He absolutely has a chance to win again this year,” Mr Coffey said of his fellow jockey.
“Incentivise is pretty special and is the favourite, but he will need to step up to another level against Twilight Payment.”
Mr Coffey has observed how life has changed for Mr McNeil after winning the Cup, and has noted the significance of his first Cup ride.
In 2016 Mr Coffey was close to riding the Darren Weir-trained Signoff in the 2016 Cup, however the horse ended up being scratched due to an injury.
This year, Mr Coffey and Port Guillaume will be number 18 in Race 7, broadcast at 3pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, with supporters in Swan Hill and across the racing industry cheering him on.
