Excelleration, trained by Richard Cully, secured a remarkable hat-trick of cup victories by narrowly clinching the win in a photo finish during Monday’s Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) at Morphettville.
Piloted by Harry Coffey and sent off as a +350 chance, the seven-year-old gelding displayed a strong finish down the inside of the track, edging out The Map by a nose.
The top two left Skelm trailing behind by an additional 2.75 lengths.
Reflecting on the race, Coffey shared his experience, stating, “When we were at Launceston the other day, I nearly missed my ride in the next race in the presentations.
“They (owners) were talking about how it walked out as a foal at the yearling sales six years ago, so I thought I’ll go and weigh in and come back out, there’s plenty of time.”
Coffey continued, “I just had to cop my medicine, and I actually had him really well relaxed for the type of horse he is, and then Zac’s (Spain) iron broke, and I was like ‘wowee, what am I going to do now?’
“I didn’t know what Zac was going to do, and to Zac’s credit, he tried to ride a race without any irons, and mind you he gave it a good steer because I was following him, so I was able to sneak through.”
Coffey explained his decision-making during the race
“I was in two minds. I really rated the Dan O’Sullivan horse (One Last Kiss) with Luke Currie on it.
“I’ve ridden her a fair bit, and this was a target race for her, so I followed her for a long way, and Richie wanted me to cut the corner, and I had in my mind I would’ve loved to have gotten on Jamie’s (Kah) back at some stage, but Richie was really keen to cut the corner, and it worked.
“We cut the corner alright, and we shot straight up the inside!”
Following his win, Excelleration is now marked a +5000 winning chance with horse racing bookmakers for the Melbourne Cup (3200m).