IT was a very tough day at the office for Swan Hill trainers on Friday, particularly with two of the eight races on the card named for local racing identities – trainer Austy Coffey and his jockey son Harry.
In the $27,000 Austy Coffey Swan Hill Trainer of the Year 23/24 Handicap over 2400m, none of the three locals in the field would feature in the finish.
Coffey had two horses – Creative Hero and El Campeon – along with Jane Duncan’s Hawkeyedhost.
Just 40 minutes later Duncan looked to have the $27,000 Harry Coffey Swan Hill Jockey of the Year Handicap over 975m in the bag.
Until a flying Simple Times caught her mare Short and Stout – just short of the line – to win by almost half a length.
Helped in part by Duncan’s horse not wishing to run straight for about 100m in the straight.
That race had four other locally trained starters – two more for Coffey and two for Nathan Hobson.
In the end, local trainers put up 16 starters and Duncan’s second would be the best return of the day – by a length. Coffey also got a second, with his horse Wareo Road in the $27,000 Ultima Hotel Plate over 1200m finishing 1.5 lengths adrift of Milbrae.
During an Olympic meet, Coffey would finish the day with a silver and bronze, Hobson managed a bronze and Duncan had the silver of the day. Con Kelly came up empty handed.
Duncan is now pointing Short and Stout upstream towards Echuca where she has been nominated for another sprint on Sunday.
She said her six-year-old mare has reached the point in her career where 1000m is about as far as she wants to go.
“I really thought she was up, and that would have been great because it’s been a while since I’ve been at the pointy end, and then that horse flew down the outside and caught her,” Duncan said.
“She had done a bit of work to get to the front but when she shook off the frontrunner, I really thought she had done enough to get there.
“But she pulled up well after the run and I worked her this morning (Monday) and he went pretty well.
“I will wait and see what she draws at Echuca, and if it is a good draw we will run there. If it’s not there’s a meeting at Bendigo in three weeks and we will try our luck there.”
