Harry Coffey celebrates inspiring and emotional Caulfield Cup triumph

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was only six weeks old, Harry Coffey overcame enormous odds for the biggest win of his career in the Caulfield Cup – and on his birthday.

Harry Coffey called it the best birthday present of his life as he and the Ciaron Maher-trained stayer Duke De Sessa combined to produce one of Australian racing’s greatest fairytale victories in the $5m Caulfield Cup.

The popular Swan Hill-based hoop, who turned 29 on Saturday, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was only six weeks old but has refused to let the disease stop him from reaching for the stars.

• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

And as he stood up on the six-year-old gelding before the winning post and saluted, as he said, “like a yahoo” in a pose he’s perfected for years, the modest but fiercely competitive Coffey hoped his story would act as an inspiration for others suffering health issues.

The condition, which can reduce life expectancy, has pushed Coffey to the limits so many times in a profession in which breathing and physical conditioning can be the difference between winning and losing.

DUKE DE SESSA LEADS ALL THE WAY TO WIN THE CAULFIELD CUP! 🏆@[e-mail]/OWGqZH3dKf

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) October 19, 2024

But he says he wouldn’t be as fit, healthy and active as he is today – or a three-time Group 1 winner – without the vastly improved treatment options for cystic fibrosis, nor the resilience and determination that came from fighting this disease from the time he was a little kid with big dreams.

“There is no one who doesn’t know my story with what I have got, and the jockeys and myself joke around in the room that I have got half a lung,” Coffey said after being mobbed in the Caulfield mounting yard in front of a crowd of more than 25,000.

“But I am not going too bad for half a lung.”

Coffey said the introduction of new drugs to fight his condition has been a game-changer for him, and for his wife, Tayla, as well their 18-month-old son Thomas.

“The way the medication is now with CF (cystic fibrosis) is phenomenal,” he said.

“I can go out there and ride races like this and live a lifestyle that is amazing, and be a healthy and fit father for not only Thomas, but also a husband to Tayla.

“It’s a phenomenal life we live now.

“When I speak about family, I get emotional. They have seen how tough it was and how easy it has become with medication.”

Coffey urging Duke De Sessa to victory. Picture: George Sal/Racing Photos via Getty Images

He hoped that his story would resonate with others who have fought – often against their own bodies – to reach their goals.

“This is not just for kids with CF, it is for any kid with an illness, when you wake up one day and think ‘how is my day going to go today’,” he said of his success on Duke De Sessa, who started at $10.

“You have to keep at it, you have to have the right support around you and you have to think of the positives.

“If I didn’t have CF, I wouldn’t be a jockey because it has kept me nice and light.”

Coffey praised his parents, trainer Austy and Maree, for refusing to let him be defined by his health challenges, and always pushing him to fight for what he wanted, no matter the hurdles he might encounter.

“There is no point worrying about it,” Coffey said of the illness.

“You can’t change it.

“That goes all the way back to when I was at school or junior footy. Mum and Dad would give me a hit on the bum and say, ‘Go and do your best, and if you run out of breath, have your ventolin.

“Even though I have had these things along the way that probably aren’t seen to be the best thing a jockey can have – being short of breath and a digestive system problem – I still get support from the big stables and Ciaron (Maher) hasn’t shied away from that.”

Coffey hugs assistant trainer Jack Turnbull. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

He said Maher, who was in Sydney watching on as his superstar mare Bella Nipotina won the $20m The Everest an hour before Duke De Sessa’s Caulfield Cup victory, had been outstanding in his support.

“Dad rang (on Friday night) and said, ‘I know you have gone without me, but I am thinking about catching the train down in the morning’,” Coffey said of his father Austy.

“But we have some horses running at Echuca (on Sunday), so I told him he had to stay home to make sure their legs aren’t going to fall off.”

After working hard to get down to 52kg to ride Duke De Sessa, Coffey had planned to get a pizza and a few beers with fellow jockey Jye McNeil on Saturday night.

“I wasn’t going to go home (to Swan Hill on Saturday night), as I would get there too late and my son would be in bed,” he said.

“But I might not get to bed (at all) now.”

Originally published as Harry Coffey celebrates inspiring and emotional Caulfield Cup triumph