Mister Coffey

Mister Coffey did well to finish second in the two-and-a-half-mile novices’ handicap chase at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day. Awkward at the first fence, he was slightly hampered when he stable companion Bothwell Bridge fell at the second fence, and he jumped to his left at most of his fences after that. Widest of all through the race, he gave away ground around all the bends and at most of his obstacles, so it was to his credit that he was still there with a chance on the run to the final fence. He stayed on well up the run-in too, and only went down by three parts of a length in the end to Jacamar.

A progressive hurdler last season, seventh in the Betfair Hurdle and fourth in a Grade 3 handicap hurdle at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, he could only finish third in a novices’ handicap chase at Newbury’s Ladbrokes Trophy meeting on his chasing bow, but he wasn’t beaten far by Not Available, who followed up next time off a 3lb higher mark. Also, that was over two miles, a trip that is almost certainly short of his best, given how well he stayed at the end of two and a half miles last Sunday. An expensive recruit for Lady Bamford and Nicky Henderson after he won his bumper in April 2019 for Harry Whittington, the Authorized gelding has just turned seven, and he has the potential to go well behind his current mark of 137, ideally on a left-handed track, and ideally over at least two and a half miles. He could get three miles in time.
Kempton, 26^th December 2021