Martin Harley will head back to England with a major milestone under his belt after piloting Cool Archie to victory in the J J Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm, securing his first Group 1 win in Australia.
Already a top-level winner in France, the UK, and Ireland, Harley added Australian Group 1 success to his résumé when Cool Archie ($4.80) held off a late charge from $4.60 betting favourite Hidden Achievement to win by 1-¼ lengths. Call Da Vinci ($31) finished third, a half-length further back.
“I’m on a plane tonight going back for Royal Ascot,” Harley said.
“And I might fly that plane myself after that.”
Harley spent time riding in Victoria back in 2019 before returning to the UK, but the lure of Australian racing brought him back, this time setting up base in Brisbane. His journey hasn’t been without setbacks—a fall at Doomben before the 2023 Magic Millions Carnival left him with a broken neck, the second of his career following a similar injury in the UK a decade earlier.
After a year-long recovery, Harley returned to the saddle with a win on Magic Millions Day, but Saturday’s Group 1 triumph marked a new peak.
“I think the horse has done most of the talking,” Harley said.
“He’s taken a big step forward each run and that’s what the good ones do.
“To transform from a Heavy 10 to a Good 4 there today, which I knew he would handle, I never had any doubt in that.
“I just watched the previous races, and I trusted my horse to pick up, but nothing had been making up bundles of ground, so I wanted to try and be that pair or two closer today.
“We got a lovely spot, a good rhythm, and I ended up getting there too soon but he’s got a good will to win, and he wanted it.”
The win also marked a Group 1 breakthrough for training duo Chris and Corey Munce. Chris, a Melbourne Cup-winning jockey turned trainer, recently welcomed his son into a partnership, and together they had prepared 64 winners this season before Saturday’s breakthrough.
“I’m a little speechless, as you’d probably expect, but I’ll try and keep it together,” Corey Munce said.
“I felt very comfortable throughout the run.
“I said (during the race) we’re right here, and if he’s good enough he can win.
“That was a bit of the worry, as he’d come from a long way back the other day from an awkward draw and we were just hoping from a slightly better draw he would be that touch closer, and it worked out beautifully today.”
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