Jucconi at his brilliant best
Luck is a fortune for the talented Jucconi.
The six-year-old was scheduled to run in the final event at Sandown on Easter Monday but the race was abandoned because of inclement weather.
Trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy were quick to add a late nomination for the Stow Storage Bill Collins Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday, April 6.
Jucconi, racing at a distance where he had two wins and a second from three runs, powered home to score a well-deserved win.
Starting at $13, Jucconi was given a brilliant ride by Harry Coffey, and came home strongly out wide to score a long neck win from Russian Meteor ($7.50) with Jabbawockeez ($11), a head away third.
Rayan Moore, Racing Manager for the McEvoys, said Jucconi was capable of going through the grades.
“Today, he was brilliant,” Moore said.
“It was a very good ride from Harry (Coffey).
“He is not the quickest away out of the gates, and today he was a little bit slow again.
“Harry was very patient, eventually following the horse which ran second.
“He got off its’ back, and it was a really classy ride.”
Moore said the 1400 metre trip was perfect for Jucconi.
“I said the owners pre-race that his record at 1400 (metres) is really good.
“He is better than a Benchmark 70 horse and I think he can now go through the grades.
“He has just needed a bit of luck and it was a really good win today.
“Jucconi is a VOBIS Gold horse and there is a VOBIS Gold Mile (1600m) option in a couple of weeks otherwise he will step up to Benchmark 78.”
Winning jockey Harry Coffey
“That was brilliant, wasn’t it?,” Coffey said.
“The whole preparation has been a little frustrating.
“The way the race was run today he was in a beautiful rhythm.
“I got to the outside, he quickened.
“When everything goes his way and he puts in, he has got the powerful finish which we saw today.
“Hopefully, he is out the back now and on the truck home thinks it wasn’t a bad feeling and gets some confidence from the win and can continue on and butter up again.
“I feel the horse is going really well, it is just these little things that can get him into trouble, like missing the start and over racing where today none of those mattered. Happy days.”