HARRY Coffey is a wanted man.
Wanted by virtually every punter in Australia after he steered 150/1 shot Makram to a stunning upset in the listed $175,000 The Elms Handicap over 1400m on Saturday.
When his Irish-bred seven-year-old gelding hit the line at Flemington, you could have heard a pin drop at Flemington.
The almost unbackable odds-on favourite Jimmysstar – already set to run in next month’s $3.65 million All Star Mile at Caulfield – had won his five previous runs, having debuted with a second in his six career starts heading into The Elms.
At $1.26, the race outcome appeared academic, particularly after the favourite took over the lead early in the race and appeared uncatchable as the field turned for home.
And that’s when Coffey turned the autumn carnival on its head – and ruined the dreams of owners, trainers, punters, and just about everyone else.
The only smiles seen after Makram and Coffey saluted were the ones on the jockey’s face, on the faces of the three Hayes amigos who train Makram, and his extended group of owners.
Oh, yes, and the bookies.
For Coffey, the sensation as he crossed the line, was one of “absolute relief”.
“I reckon the words ‘thank God’ went through my mind as the line flashed past. If I hadn’t won that, I would have been really crooked because I knew I had the horse to win it.”
As soon as the race was run and won, the Hayes stable and Coffey were not just pumping up Makram’s potential, they were starting to lean on the organisers of the All Star Mile for a ‘wildcard’ to sneak into the March 16 weight-for-age over the classic mile.
Race fans vote for 10 of the 14 starters, and the balance is given the wildcards.
Coffey says Makram is now almost certain to start in the Group 2 $300,000 Blamey Stakes at Flemington on March 2. The big attraction for the Hayes and Coffey is a win in the Blamey is also a guaranteed start in the All Star Mile, removing the need for that wildcard.
“I was lucky enough to win the Blamey last year, with Nonconformist, but his trainer, Grahame Begg, opted not to take the spot. If we were able to win it again this year, I am pretty confident the Hayes boys will grab the ride with both hands and see how far we can go,” he added.
Speaking post-race, co-trainer Ben Hayes says even though Makram has been a long-time challenge to train, he and his brothers agreed despite surgery to insert screws in both fetlocks, they were confident he would “run a good race”.
“Horses can surprise you, and that’s why racing is so exciting, and that’s what he did today,” Hayes says.
“He’s been a horse which can be frustrating, but if you go through his early form, he has raced at the top level and been very competitive,” he says.
Coffey, who also sees the ASM as the next logical step for his latest win, didn’t hesitate to also suggest his horse could be considered to give the glam mile a go.
Agreeing Makram had given the whole day at Flemington a big shake-up, Coffey says he felt he had the race about the 600m mark.
“Because he was first up, I didn’t want to present him too early, and the way it turned out, after me thinking that, I nearly missed the boat because I got myself into a little bit of a spot straight after,” Coffey admits.
“But to his credit, he overcame that.”
“And once I got out, he had a ripping turn of foot, and I reckon he might have put a little bit of shudder in the All Star Mile show, upsetting Jimmy like that.
“Obviously he’s a good horse, he’s just been out of form with injuries and the like, but it looks like on today’s performance he might be back.”
As delighted as he was with the win, Coffey says it took a little careful juggling to make sure the horse got the best possible run on the day.
“I had different instructions from JD and Ben, so you have to try and get it in the middle,” he added.
“JD said ‘keep him out of trouble, he’s pretty ready to go’.
“And then Ben said ‘I just want him finishing off the race’.
“So I reckon I got it right in the end,” he laughs.
“But with that being considered, I’d say we’re off to a pretty good start with this preparation.”
