SWAN Hill jockey Harry Coffey put the final polish on his home cup carnival preparations when he took out the $50,000 Sportsbet Fast Form Handicap at Sandown Lakeside on Wednesday.
In a race where he appeared trapped behind a wall of horses in the home straight, a calm Coffey stalked the leaders until he could see some daylight.
Once he did, he drove the three-year-old filly Furlanetto to a narrow victory.
Costing $350,000 as a yearling, the Zoustar daughter has proved a frustrating experience for trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy and its owners.
But now she is finally starting to pay back her price and all that perseverance.
McEvoy stables racing manager Rayan Moore said the patience of Harry Coffey as her rider was a big factor in the filly’s success – winning three of her last four starts.
Moore said the McEvoys had a strong team heading to Swan Hill, putting a bit of pressure on Coffey as one of their go-to jockeys.
“Harry knows the track better than anyone and he’s been a big factor in our stable during the past year,” Moore said.
“He has just been riding winner after winner. He’s done the hard yards and he’s been rewarded with it.”
Coffey said keeping the rising talent safely tucked away during the early running certainly played a major part in the race.
He said Furlanetto “had a lovely run, and we have learnt a lot about her”.
“Getting her to relax early helps her finish off late, when everyone’s on the same page,” Coffey said.
“That’s when the horse races well, when you have plans in place and things go right, and that’s what happened today.
“Yes, we needed a little bit of luck, and we got it, so I looked like a genius late,” he laughs.
“Early on we used to ride her for speed, and she used to win all her trials, but one day at Bendigo she got shuffled out the back of the field and she went really well.
“So that’s when we changed how we ride her.”
Coffey said the horse’s form had really turned around – including strong wins at Swan Hill and Ararat, prompting the decision to take her to town.
He said the filly was now starting to mature, to go with her great temperament.
“Even better, she has a nice little turn of foot at the end of her races, so you don’t want to expose her early, you cuddle her up and then let her rip at the end,” Coffey said.
Coffey described his home carnival as “a great event which just keeps growing” and said it was also attracting a lot more attention from the big stables.
He saaid the people who came back every year “love it”, which also helped explain the ongoing lift in the quality of horses entered.
“Which doesn’t really work well for Team Coffey (he and his Swan Hill trainer father Austy) as our horses aren’t necessarily the fastest,” Coffey said.
“But I’ve got a few rides for dad across the three days of the carnival, so hopefully they will be competitive.”
