HAS Harry Coffey become the Johnny Bairstow of bloodstock?
It’s a close call.
The only difference is Bairstow in the Fourth Test was 99 not out.
Coffey, in the 2022/23 racing season, which finished on Monday, was 99 and out.
Right out.
For eight meetings, after being found guilty of careless riding at Caulfield on July 22.
Which means his first meeting back in the new season will be at Swan Hill on Thursday.
Speaking from his Swan Hill property this week, Coffey was philosophical about what could have been back-to-back 100-win seasons after hitting that milestone for the first time in 2021-22.
In that year he ended with 102 winners – 88 on country tracks, 10 metro, three in Tasmania and one in SA.
This year’s 99 was made up of 77 country winners, 20 in town and two in Tasmania.
But as agonisingly close as that was, Coffey is far from complaining.
The only thing the self-confessed day-at-a-time hoop had in his sights for the season was more success on city tracks – and no-one would sneeze at doubling that figure.
Which also included a few big ones along the way, including the $500,000 Bendigo Cup, the $300,000 Group 2 Blamey Stakes and the day he had just three rides at Sandown and landed a treble, Coffey’s first Group 2. Lifting his career stats to 792 wins and prize money of more than $26.7 million.
It’s not even just about the wins, with all the good rides he has been given for the past season his city earnings power was further boosted by a swag of seconds, thirds and fourths, the prize money all keeps adding up.
And as a final footnote, in the overall Victorian jockeys’ championship, Coffey wouldn’t just finish in the top 10, he would be ranked fifth.
All in all a pretty good year by any stretch of the imagination.
But none of it can even hold a candle to May 1 when his wife Tayla gave birth to Thomas Anton Coffey, the couple’s first child.
Even though the excitement of pending – and post – parenthood saw Coffey step back from riding for several weeks (just how high could that 100 have gone?) to support Tayla and revel in his new family world, he says it has been worth every minute.
“I’ve been home a fair bit, which is really good, and I am rapt in Tayla and Thomas, they’re doing a great job, and it’s a bit harder to get to work right now,” he grinned at the time.
“Because he was expected to land when he did I had also given the Warrnambool carnival a pass as I didn’t want to miss anything.
“We had been playing the waiting game, so I hadn’t been doing a lot of riding around that time.”
Thomas also wasted no time making his track debut, appearing at the Swan Hill Cup Carnival just weeks later in June, being proudly shown around by trainer grandfather Austy while dad Harry was at work riding more winners.
“Yep, it’s been a pretty good year, my 20 city winners are the most I have had in a year since I had my apprentice days and those big claims,” he says.
“But I’m not getting too carried away about it all, I was able to get a lot of rides on much better horses this year as a lot of jockeys took longer breaks, were injured or riding overseas.
“People say to you that you are having a great year, but I tell them to look around, no Kah, no Lane, Oliver, Zahra, Shinn and others. But they are all starting to come back now so there’s going to be a lot of competition for those good rides.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you found me at Murtoa instead of Moonee Valley.”
Although he admits to pining after all those big Group 1 rides drawing closer as we head into spring with the cups, the Cox Plate and all the carnival carry-on.
But he is also a realist, saying many of the top jockeys are already tentatively booked, or in negotiations for the big races coming and he hasn’t heard from anyone as yet.
Plus, with Royal Ascot run and won, the international horses, their owners and trainers, will also be looking around and, literally, jockeying with each other to sign the best riders possible.
“I’ve got nothing set in stone yet, I might end up relying on some off-stone to get me there, but after such a good year, after getting through with no accidents or injuries, and really boosting city wins, there’s not a lot you could complain about,” he added.
Not that he would knock back any ride any trainer might be inclined to offer.
“But really, I would be just as happy at Swan Hill with a book of six good rides as anywhere else.”
Which is exactly where he will be on Thursday.
