AFTER another dominant week of racing, Harry Coffey has to be looking at October 14 as his next best shot of another elusive Group 1.
That’s when Maher-Eustace horse Southport Tycoon is almost certain to line up for the $3 million Caulfield Guineas – Australia’s premier three-year-old race.
Swan Hill’s Coffey has been aboard for the colt’s three career starts – winning the first two and missing out on a third by barely a nose in Saturday’s $300,000 Caulfield Guineas Prelude over 1400m.
Boom colt Steparty grabbed Southport Tycoon in the last stride to make his career 5-0.
But after the race, Dave Eustace made it pretty clear his stable was already gearing up for the Guineas.
Apart from Southport Tycoon, their horse Scentify was another nose away in third.
“Both ours are very good horses. I thought one of them was going to win,” Eustace said.
“The winner (Steparty) is obviously very good, but I’d be pretty keen to take him on again.
“I think both will improve at a mile – the distance of the Guineas – and so will that horse (Steparty), but there’s obviously not much between them.”
The Group 3 race was packed with good horses, six of the nine starters were last-start winners and three had been unbeaten.
Coffey was riding high after blitzing the Ballarat meeting the day before with a stunning treble and two minor placings.
A dominant performance on Ascension won the Sportsbet Gold Nugget, the $100,000 feature race of the day.
Sharing the running with Russian Roni for most of the mile, Ascension took over into the last turn and Coffey said catch me if you can.
They finished just shy of the course record of 1:21.4 set by Helmet in 2011.
“Dave (trainer David Eustace) told me on the phone that all up he’s fit, albeit it was only his second start this prep, but he’s a strong horse, who has a high cruising speed and likes it tough,” Coffey said.
“I won on him one day at Warrnambool and he got away from me a little bit there and grinded them into the ground, where today he was a lot easier to get along with.
“I didn’t think I would get outside the leader with as much ease as we did, allowing me to get into such a nice rhythm, letting me control the race on my own terms.
“Before I thought there might have been bit more tempo and we would be charging them from a long way out, but it all worked for us and that’s probably why he was so dominant.
“But he does like things the way he wants them, so you have to work with him a little bit, but he probably likes the ground with a little more give so I was surprised how good he was through the line on that firmer surface.”
Coffey also took out the $35,000 Pipe Pro Direct Drilling Plate (1100m) and, although it was a small field, Sunset Dreaming ran well back with cover until the straight.
“That was a really good win for such a likeable filly which does thing right and I thought she lengthened really nicely in the straight, after showing a nice little turn of foot,” he said.
“We were confident, she’s trialled well and she’s done things well in her gallops, so it was good for her to come here today and get some confidence and I think she will be able to race through the grades.”
Coffey got such an easy run in the $35,000 Hygain Winners Choice (1100m) – leading from the jump to the line – co-trainer Calvin McEvoy joked he probably wouldn’t want a riding fee he had to do so little.
Give Giggles took up the running and saw off any challenges in the straight to hit the line strongly.
Well backed Mornington Glory loomed near the end, but could make no serious inroads when the race was there to be won, Coffey almost ending a 28-year race record.
Coffey is unbeaten in two rides aboard the seven-year-old.
Ascension cost $100,000 at the 2021 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, after winning five races when prepared by Roger Varian in the UK.
He has now won nine races, including victories at Caulfield, Warrnambool and Randwick.
Coffey said the stable was confident in the fast, strong horse, who “delivered” on Saturday.
“There is still room for a bit of improvement, but (Ascension) still cruised along at a pretty good speed and still found a little bit at the end so I thought it was a good win,” he said.
