There wasn’t a neater race ride anywhere in Australia on Saturday than Harry Coffey’s display on High Emocean in the Sally Chirnside at Flemington - a race named in honour of the first female commitee member of a major Australian race club. Sally Chirnside who passed away in June, served on the Victoria Racing Club committee from 1991 to 2002.
Having only his second race ride on the mare, Harry had a crucial decision to make when he found himself trapped three wide at the winning post the first time. Had there been no prospect of a trail, he may have restrained to the tail of the field. However, the jockey decided to stay put when he realised he was right on the heels of the firm favourite Interpretation, who was also following a three wide runner in Themoonlitegambler. Aided by the solid pace set by Serpentine, High Emocean settled beautifully and got into a lovely rhythm.
Harry had another decision to make at the 600m when King Of The Castle and Saint Eustace swept around him from rearward positions, momentarily pocketing High Emocean. “I decided to stay in because I was following the right horse, and I was confident my mare would give a good kick if I could hold up a bit longer,” said Harry. “As Interpretation took me forward at the top of the straight, I was able to angle out in front of King Of The Castle and you saw how she let down. She had them covered quickly and was very dominant over the last 100m.”
6yo mare High Emocean wins her first race in two years thanks to a top Harry Coffey ride - courtesy Racing Photos.
Harry hadn’t been on High Emocean since riding her into second place in a BM58 at Tatura almost three years ago. That came two weeks after the daughter of Ocean Park had won a mile maiden at Ballarat. Following a spell she raced with great consistency throughout an eight race preparation which brought four wins and four placings. The last run of the campaign saw her blow the opposition away in the Ansett Classic at Mornington, after which a couple of niggling problems kept her away from the track for ten months.
It’s hard to believe Saturday’s Flemington win was her first since the Ansett Classic almost two years ago. In between times the mare has had multiple issues and has been in and out of work several times. Her first two runs this preparation were satisfactory, but it was obvious she needed to lift. With the luxury of the limit weight on Saturday and suited by a strong tempo, High Emocean put it all together. An intelligent ride by Harry Coffey was an added bonus.
High Emocean was one of five rides for Coffey on the Flemington card. He enjoys nothing more than riding on the city tracks, but is reluctant to give up solid books out of town when his metropolitan offers are quoted at long odds. “I’d never be able to juggle things without the help of my manager Dean Hawkes,” said Harry. “He works up to two weeks ahead and has a sound knowledge of the form. He quickly works out where I should be on Saturdays.”
Thumbs up from Harry after High Emocean's win - courtesy Racing Photos.
Dean’s expertise and Harry’s willingness to travel, saw the popular jockey post 98 wins and 164 placings on Victorian race tracks in the 2021/2022 season. He has 10 wins on the board so far in the new season. The twenty six year old continues to amaze family, friends and all sections of the racing industry with his resolve to deal with a lifetime medical condition and simply get on with the job. Harry was diagnosed at birth with cystic fibrosis - a debilitating disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system. Sufferers need to observe strict guidelines and remain intensely focused on their regular treatments. Given the circumstances family and friends were surprised when he chose a career as a professional jockey, and few expected him to complete his apprenticeship. Twelve years on he continues to amaze, as he nears 700 wins including a Gr 1 success and several stakes races. Predictably he’s a source of inspiration to many young people living with similar difficulties.
Horse lover Harry gives Ocean Beyond an admiring glance after a win in the listed McKenzie Stakes at Moonee Valley 2020 - courtesy Racing Photos.
Last Saturday morning was no different to any other as Harry prepared for a busy day at Flemington. In order to attain normal lung function for the day, he’s required to complete a thirty minute session in which a nebuliser transfers vapourised saline directly to his lungs. The saline does its job by loosening mucus build up after which a “resistor” process creates a cough inducing expiratory pressure. “That’s the way I’m able to clear my lungs of mucus seven days a week,” says Harry. “My car has been fitted with a power point which enables me to use the machine while somebody else does the driving. In addition to the nebuliser treatment I’m swallowing a large number of pills every day including a gene modifier. This is a newly developed drug which has helped me enormously. It basically tricks my body into believing that I don’t have the symptoms of cystic fibrosis. The drug is being fine tuned all the time.”
Harry was apprenticed to his father Austy who began his training career at Swan Hill in the late 1980’s after many years as a highly regarded farrier. It was trainer Nathan Hobson who provided his first race ride at Manangatang near Swan Hill in October 2011. In finishing second Harry went within a head of joining the list of lucky apprentices to win on debut. Just three weeks later he announced his arrival as a professional jockey at Wycheproof’s once a year meeting on the edge of the “The Mallee”. Harry won a 1000m maiden on Sauce trained by Darren Weir, a trainer who would give him tremendous support in the early stages of his career.
The young jockey had to wait more than a year to post that all important maiden city win, and again it was Weir who made it possible. Harry won a mares race at Moonee Valley on My Option who remains one of his favourites to this day. Continued success for the Weir stable over the next five years, earned Coffey the ride on a filly called Sopressa in two races during the 2018 Adelaide Cup carnival. He’d won a Kyneton maiden on the filly a few weeks before, but Dean Yendall had the mount when Sopressa was unplaced in a stakes race at Morphettville. Harry was in disbelief when he got the call.
From barrier 1 the So You Think filly fairly exploded in the hands of the Swan Hill youngster to win the Gr3 Auraria Stakes by almost 4.5 lengths. In the Gr 1 Schweppes Oaks a fortnight later Sopressa again came up with the inside gate which afforded her a perfect run in fourth spot all the way to the turn. She dived between horses to grab the lead at the 200m, before just holding off the fast finishing Sheezdashing. Social media was alight with tributes to Harry over the following few days. Every hour, every cough, every frustration of his daily battle with cystic fibrosis paled into insignificance. “I pray it will happen again one day just to prove the first one was no fluke,” said the popular jockey.
A Caulfield win for the Hayes brothers on Biometric 2021 - courtesy Racing Photos.
There’s one other race day in Harry’s career which comes very close to rivalling the euphoria of his magic day at Morphettville. It came more than two years earlier at Wycheproof, a tiny township of 600 residents in the Shire of Buloke in north western Victoria. Harry won six of the seven races including the Wycheproof Cup on his old favourite Vianden. To add to the thrill, five of his six winners were trained by his father Austy. Viaden was a prolific Victorian country Cup winner whose record was highlighted by two Wycheproof Cups, two Nhill Cups, a Burrumbeet Cup, a Great Western Cup and a Hanging Rock Cup in which Harry wore the spectacular colours of the Australian flag.
The jockey continues to rate Signoff as the best horse he’s ridden. The horse had won seven races before Harry got to ride him and one of those was the Lexus Stakes in which he was ridden by the Hong Kong ace Joie Moreira. The famous Brazilian born jockey was also on board when Signoff ran a cracking fourth in the 2014 Melbourne Cup won by Protectionist. He suffered a leg injury at his only run the following autumn and was off the scene for many months.
He resumed on Boxing Day 2015 in the 1700m listed Lord Stakes at Caulfield with H. Coffey his new rider. The gelding came from the tail of the field to blow the opposition away at odds of $31.00. It was a shock for all connections when Signoff returned a positive swab to the anti inflammatory Ibuprofen which had been used in the treatment of his well documented leg problems. Harry retained the ride two months later when the gelding beat all but Swadadelic in a stakes race at Moonee Valley. Darren Weir then nominated him for the Gr 3 Lord Reims Stakes at Morphettville over the ideal distance of 2600m. “There were no superstars in the race but he was never going to get beaten and won by 6.5 lengths,” recalled Harry. “He was a lovely looking horse with a beautiful action and he could stay all day. He gave his jockeys a wonderful feel. Sadly he was to have only three more unplaced runs before the leg problem recurred and he had to be retired. He’s the best I’ve ridden to date.”
There's nothing Harry loves more than to ride a winner for his father Austy. They combined to win this one with Bannerton at Mildura - courtesy Racing Photos.
Harry is unwaveringly philosophical about his medical condition and is extremely grateful to be able to move on with his riding career. “It is what it is,” he says. “It’s all I’ve ever known and you do get very used to the grind of managing the treatment. I’ve obviously got it all down to a fine art and it rarely prevents my getting to the races.”
Harry and partner Tayla live on a 10 hectare property on the outskirts of Swan Hill where they keep a couple of ponies. They relocated to Bendigo a few years ago in the hope Harry’s metropolitan opportunities might be enhanced, but it didn’t work out as planned. They both found themselves missing their native Swan Hill and their respective families. “I think I’ve found the right formula now,” says the jockey. “I’ve established a regular provincial and country circuit and I’m happy to travel to town if the right opportunities come up.”
A solid work ethic, the ability to ride at a lighter weight than most fully fledged Victorian jockeys and truckloads of natural talent are the three constants in Harry Coffey’s profile. He’s just as happy to ride a winner for a battling trainer at Wycheproof as he is to link up with Maher/Eustace on Flemington’s hallowed turf as he did on Saturday. If he continues to ride them the way he rode High Emocean, that second Gr 1 win might be just around the corner.
(Banner image - Coffey gave High Emocean a gun run before careering away to win the Sally Chirnside at Flemington - courtesy Racing Photos.)