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It has been called the story of the carnival so far with jockey Harry Coffey saluting in the 148th edition of the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on his birthday with a daring front-running ride on the Ciaron Maher-trained Duke De Sessa who defeated the favourite Buckaroo in dominant fashion.
In an interstate, feature race double Maher celebrated the biggest day of his career to date with his in-form stayer Duke De Sessa racing out of his skin to take out this year’s Caulfield Cup only an hour after the stable’s ace mare Bella Nipotina made history with her narrow $20 million The Everest 2024 success at Randwick.
“Oh, it’s magic to be honest. Yeah, just fantastic to get on the phone with him (Ciaron), especially after Bella,” stable representative Jack Turnbull told Racing.com.
“A just pinch me moment sort of stuff. Stable are having an extremely good day.
“Very good ride by Harry. Everyone’ s so thankful for Harry, and really appreciative for him to win.
“Everyone knows how well-deserved he is. It’s just amazing.”
Eight years on from another Maher mare, Jameka, handing the horseman his first Caulfield Cup trophy he was back in the winner’s stall in 2024 enjoying a second win in the world’s richest mile and a half handicap.
Coffey produced an absolute peach of a ride rating his mount, Lope De Vega six-year-old Duke De Sessa, to perfection with an on-speed performance in the $5 million classic.
“Oh, I don’t know how to describe this. How am I feeling? Spectacular. Oh, phenomenal!” Coffey said.
“When I let rip, I thought maybe I’d gone too early. But one thing you can count on with Ciaron Maher and this amazing team he has, you can back your horses in.
“They’ll just keep running. And because of Ciaron, his horse’s owners, his staff, and more importantly the horse, I’ve been involved in the day I’ll never forget, on my birthday.”
The horse who ran ninth to Without A Fight last year has shown incredible improvement this prep winning the 2024 Caulfield Cup on the back of two 4th place Group 1 finishes in the Underwood Stakes and Turnbull Stakes.
“Last season, he was a colt, and he had a good think about it, and he used to over-travel,” Turnbull said speaking of Duke De Sessa’s notable improvment this season.
“This race in particular, we changed a bit, so we put a norton on.
“He obviously had 12 months of seasoning and conditioning, and Ciaron and the team just had a better handle on him.
“So, the form is around him with Via Sistina, and it’s just amazing.
“Just very appreciative and well done to Maurice Regan, Cole McKenna’s in the horse. It’s amazing, and it’s fantastic for the stable.”
Getting conditions to suit on a Soft (6) Caulfield track, Duke De Sessa was the Caulfield Cup market mover this year backed in from $23 to $10 and he raced right up to that money trail.
Right from the gates Coffey went forward to lead on the eventual Caulfield Cup winner.
With a mile to go the challenge came from last weekend’s Group 1 Might And Power winning mare Deny Knowledge who continued to come around them from the wide alley and hit the front setting an even speed.
At the 600m, Coffey put his foot down on Duke De Sessa ($11) with the horse responding beautifully to regather is position in the lead with Chris Waller‘s The Metropolitan winner Land Legend also moving up to do the chasing.
Waller’s Underwood winner and Caulfield Cup favourite Buckaroo meanwhile was quick on the scene the closing stages making up all the ground from the back with a big late run trying to catch Duke De Sessa who had got out some three or four lengths in front.
Buckaroo was the only danger, but he ran out of time with Duke De Sessa still 1.5 lengths clear of the beaten favourite on the line.
“Well, when I thought, we were going to make all, I was okay, but when Deny Knowledge came around us, he just got a lovely drop, and they weren’t’ going fast, and he loves this ground,” Turnbull said.
“He’s fit. When they upped the ante at the right time, he was able to build into it, and it just got everyone chasing.
“And when he put, you know, two or three lengths at the top of the straight, you knew he was going to sustain that, especially the way the track is playing. So, just unbelievable.
“Like, I cannot, you know, even think this is happening. Speechless!”
Land Legend was a further five lengths again back third to complete the 2024 Caulfield Cup trifecta.
“He run fantastic. He was a bit unlucky, he got checked twice during the race, that put him a little bit too far back, but he hit the line like a champion. Very proud of him,” Buckaroo’s jockey Joao Moreira said of the beaten favourite.
The next best in a distant fourth for James Cummings was his nice mare Zardozi.
The Caulfield Cup is the opening leg of the Spring Cups’ double with the next step being the Group 1 $8.56 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington Tuesday November 5.
Without A Fight completed the Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double last season, however Duke De Sessa is not nominated for this year’s edition of the ‘race that stops a nation’.
| 10. Duke De Sessa (5) J: Harry Coffey52kg 55244T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 2. Buckaroo (7) J: Joao Moreira54.5kg x8112T: Chris Waller | ||
| 8. Land Legend (1) J: Zac Purton53kg 1x061T: Chris Waller | ||
| 13. Zardozi (9) J: Andrea Atzeni51kg x6652T: James Cummings | ||
| 15. Deny Knowledge (14) J: Craig Newitt50.5kg 21x51T: A & S Freedman | ||
| 19. Fancy Man (3) J: Ron Stewart50kg 10x53T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | ||
| 7. Eliyass (18) J: Tim Clark53kg 1x113T: G Waterhouse & A Bott | ||
| 6. Warmonger (13) J: Michael Dee53.5kg 21x40T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr | ||
| 16. Valiant King (15) J: Teodore Nugent50.5kg 56x00T: Chris Waller | ||
| 3. Circle Of Fire (10) J: John Allen54.5kg 11x89T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 5. Huetor (6) J: Luke Currie54kg 40x20T: Peter Snowden | ||
| 9. Young Werther (8) J: Jye McNeil52.5kg 62x15T: Danny O'Brien | ||
| 4. Warp Speed (16) J: Akira Sugawara54.5kg x325xT: N Takagi | ||
| 11. Knight's Choice (11) J: Robbie Dolan51.5kg 34x90T: J G Symons & S Laxon | ||
| 14. Coco Sun (17) J: Karis Teetan50.5kg 1x765T: T & C McEvoy | ||
| 18. Sayedaty Sadaty (2) J: Ben Thompson50kg 2253xT: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 1. Kalapour (4) J: Ben Melham55kg 3x486T: Kris Lees | ||
| 20. Berkshire Breeze (12) J: Carleen Hefel50kg 11234T: Ciaron Maher |
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