The form out of this year’s Great Western Cup got a huge boost when Harry Coffey steered Excelleration to a narrow and exciting win in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup over 3200 metres at Morphettville on Monday.
Coffey didn’t go around a horse riding Excelleration to his third straight cup win of 2024, following feature triumphs at Great Western (January 28) and Launceston (February 28).
A $6000 purchase at the Magic Millions Adelaide yearling sales of 2018 Excelleration ($4.40), gave Ballarat trainer and former jumps jockey Richard Cully one of his biggest career thrills. 
Excelleration got up in a photo to beat the Daniel Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray-trained mare The Map ($3.80 favourite), ridden by Jamie Kah. The Terry Kelly-trained Skelm ($31) was 2¾ lengths away third under Michael Poy.
One of the more remarkable runs of the race was that of the Phillip Stokes-trained Amade. Jockey Zac Spain lost his irons going past the winning post for the first time but recovered to finish fourth. 
Stubby doubles up
Jason Holder strengthened his claim for a second straight John Letts Medal on Monday when he combined for a double with local trainer Andrew Gluyas.
They scored with Lovely Lookin’ ($3.20 favourite) in a Class 2 over 1100 metres and Air Assault ($2.80) in the listed Morphettville Guineas (1600m). 
Happy Monday
The training partnership of Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeoman landed its first black-type win when Meridius ($3.70) came from midfield to take out the listed C.S. Hayes Memorial Cup (1600m), giving Jamie Kah the second leg of a riding treble. 
Kah’s other winners were Boognish ($1.50 favourite) for Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea in a one-metro-win affair over 1050 metres and Austmarr ($2.90 favourite), who led all the way for Anthony and Sam Freedman in the listed Manihi Classic (1100m).
Storm on the rise
Richard and Chantelle Jolly look to have a nice juvenile in their stable after the win of Dancing Storm ($7.50) in the Magic Millions SA Two-Year-Old Classic (1100m) at Murray Bridge last Saturday. 
Purchased for $35,000 at last year’s Adelaide sales, the Sir Prancealot gelding was first up at the Bridge, having opened his career with a pair of Morphettville placings in December. 
Dancing Storm was the second leg of a double for Todd Pannell, who’d earlier won on Ballon D’or ($4.40) in a benchmark 74 handicap over 1200 metres for Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea.
The Murray Bridge-based co-trainers got the quinella in that race, with Ben Price guiding the resuming Ichibansan ($41) into second. 
Chris claims quinella
Morphettville trainer Chris Bieg caused an upset in the Magic Millions event for three- and four-year-olds at the Bridge, with Overstrike scoring first up at $21 under Lachlan Neindorf. 
The three-year-old Overshare gelding had been unplaced first up in both previous campaigns, but here he was on pace throughout, just holding on from stablemate Dubenenko ($6.50).
Rochelle on a roll
Apprentice Rochelle Milnes was the star at Clare last Sunday with a double. 
Milnes won an 1100-metre maiden on Flyin’ For Us ($3 favourite) for Strathalbyn’s Emma Hubbard and a 1200-metre benchmark 56 on Effortkat ($5) for John Dunn and Krystal Bishop of Port Lincoln.

A first for Irlam
Bordertown trainer Scott Irlam brought up the first double of his career at Strathalbyn on Wednesday, with both his winners ridden by apprentice Alana Livesey. Livesey and Irlam scored with Mr Ferrari ($26) in a 1600-metre maiden plate and Scottish Soldier ($11) in a rating 60 over 2050 metres.
Lachlan Neindorf shared the riding honours with a double of his own, while well travelled jockey Nigel Seymour rode the first SA winner of his current stint on the Paul Carey-bred, -owned and -trained Fiamette ($15) in a 1600-metre benchmark 56.