You know Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey is hot when even the racing.com post-race camera crew start cracking jokes with him live on-air about the number of times he stars on the show.
At Caulfield on Tuesday, after winning the $150,000 Spicer T’breds Grassroots Gallop over 1440m (by barely a long head) on Belthil, he was being lightly mocked about lights, camera, action, and stage make up when the racing.com host suggested he spent more time with the camera crew than the interviewer because he is such a prolific country winner.
So far this season, which started on August 1, Coffey has landed 22 winners – 18 on provincial tracks and four in town.
Even trainer Andrew Bobbin conceded he had earlier dropped his usual pre-race owners’ briefing that morning, telling them “we will need a Harry Coffey special, mark your own card”.
Bobbin wasn’t far off the mark either. Coffey narrowly won after riding just off the pace and as they swung off the back for the run home timed a gap to perfection and then drove his mount to the lead and fought all the way to stay there.
“It worked out pretty well,” Coffey said. “I said to Andrew when I got back it was like he had actually drawn a good barrier, not 10 of 12, but every now and again things do fall your way
“And this lightly-raced horse has had a little bit of bad luck with barrier draws and others things, and a little bit of a health issue as well.
“So we were due and it was really good we were able to do it in a moneyed race, with plenty of owners here to see it.
“So to answer the original question, it wasn’t too bad.”
Coffey conceded he has had an amazingly good association with the horse, including those three previous wins – breaking its maiden at Geelong in December last year before going back-to-back at Stawell.
He says he got to know Belthil well at the Bobbin stables because he was a bit of a difficult younger gelding he came with a few tricks.
“I seemed to be glued to him earlier on his career, but no, he is starting to come together now, and behave a lot better and be more enjoyable to ride,” Coffey said.
Which includes four wins and two placings from 10 career starts – with Coffey at the controls for all four wins.
“I do a lot of trials on him, and do a lot of trials for Andrew Bobbin,” he said. “So I am really glad I can win a nice race for him as he has been a truly good supporter of mine, and so have the owners, who ask Andrew to use me whenever possible.
“So I think it’s about knowing the horse, he has been tricky, but now, as I said, he is putting it together and I think we can win some nice races going forward.”
