Harry Coffey has spent more than a decade chasing the right horse for the right race as one of the state’s leading jockeys, and he’ll be doing more of the same when he crosses codes into the world of harness racing early next year.
The Caulfield Cup-winning hoop and his family are among the successful applicants for the sport’s very first slot race in Victoria, with the Coffeys now searching for the pacer to represent them in the inaugural edition of the Running of the Bulls at Birchip during the March long weekend.
Carrying prizemoney of $125,000, the feature event is shaping as an exciting addition to Birchip’s hugely popular once-a-year meeting.
The race conditions have been crafted to attract a field of emerging types and country warriors rather than the elite equine athletes.
While Coffey was born in Swan Hill, father Austy and his nine siblings were raised in Birchip and call the Mallee region home.
“I spoke to my Dad and brother about it, and said we could use the event as a bit of a gathering and reunion for the family,” he said.
“The Coffeys have been in Birchip since the 1880s and there’s six generations of Coffeys that have lived in Birchip.
“I’m sure there would have been a lot of horses come and go through the Coffey family in Birchip, so it seems quite fitting to be involved in what’s probably the biggest horse event that Birchip will have.
“The whole family loves events that happen in the Mallee, so to be part of it gives us a little kick-along.”
A winner of more than 1000 races as a jockey, Coffey has only limited exposure to harness racing but is looking forward to being part of next year’s race.
“We are very excited,” he said. “We’ve got to get promoting and hopefully we have a big day, which I’m sure it will be.
“We haven’t been doing a lot of winning in the thoroughbreds lately, so we’re going to chance our arm over in the harness.”
Sports Entertainment Network is among the 10 Running of the Bulls slot holders, as are trainer-drivers Alex Ashwood, Aaron Dunn and Nathan Jack, the Birchip-Watchem and Murchison-Toolamba football/netball clubs, and a syndicate of 20 women that will race under the “Fillies In Charge” banner.
