3 minute read
Harry Coffey has guided Cardigan Queen to victory in his first “biggie” at his hometown carnival.
As a youngster growing up in Swan Hill, jockey Harry Coffey used to see a number of the good young horses head to the northern Victorian track for the three-day winter carnival.
To win the race named after one of the best and give the Swan Hill based jockey his first "biggie" of the Carnival, was especially pleasing.
Coffey partnered the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Cardigan Queen to win the Elvstroem Classic (1300m) on Friday.
Elvstroem won at his debut over the 1300m journey at the carnival in 2003 while his younger half-brother Haradasun scored a 10-length win, also on debut, three years later.
"It's great to win a hometown feature. I've never one a biggie, so it's good to get an Elvstroem Classic," Coffey said.
"Growing up as a kid you'd watch these nice two-year-olds come up to Swan Hill, Haradasun, Elvstroem and you would think these horses are amazing and now all these years later I'm riding in the races that you would watch all these good horses come up for.
"I'm absolutely rapt to get an Elvstroem Classic and hopefully I can get a couple of the other biggies."
Enjoying a good run behind the speed, Cardigan Queen ($4.60) defeated the $1.95 favourite All About Eve by three-quarters-of-a-length with Pretty Little Lass ($7) a length away third.
Coffey said a phone call from Eustace on Friday morning had filled him with confidence.
"Dave spoke to me on the phone this morning and said we've got the blinkers on, we're very happy with her and don't be afraid to stick it to them because she's tough," Coffey said.
"When someone like Dave says that to you, you go out there and ride full of confidence and that's the way I rode her.
"She was too good."