Racing
Hawkesbury News: 1st March, 2026
Steve O’Halloran describes him as very unassuming!
Much like his Hawkesbury trainer, there might be nothing pretentious about Mal Coupe , but he has become Sydney's emerging young sprinter with five wins on the bounce (six from his last seven starts), and earned the chance to now show his wares in black type company.
The talented four-year-old made easy work of extending his picket fence when he graduated from a Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1000m) to a 1200m Benchmark 88 Handicap at Royal Randwick yesterday.
"I honestly don't know where Mal Coupe's ceiling is," O'Halloran said today.
"Every time we raise the bar, he keeps jumping it.
"He licked his feed bin clean overnight, and appears to have pulled up well from yesterday's race.
"Provided he continues to do well, at this stage the Group 3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday week is next for him.
"I might throw in an entry for the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at weight-for-age at Randwick on Saturday, but most likely we'll wait for the Maurice McCarten."
It was a real family affair when Mal Coupe won the closer at Randwick yesterday, as O'Halloran's wife Stephanie was the gelding's handler and the couple's 10-year-old daughter Willow also was trackside to share in the celebrations.
O'Halloran came up with the quip of the day after $3.20 favorite Mal Coupe's defeat of Eye Of The Fire ($12) and Roselyn's Star ($3.90) in what was clearly his biggest test to date.
"This beats going to Bathurst," he said, standing in the winners' area at headquarters and referring to the fact that Mal Coupe got his first win on the board at the country track with a four and a half lengths' romp in an 1100m Maiden on a heavy track on May 26 last year.
A son of Xtravagant, Mal Coupe is the first foal of the unraced Pierro mare Enter, and boasts a 50 per cent winning strike rate (six from 12 starts).
"Mal Coupe showed some ability on debut when as a $91 outsider, he ran fifth in what turned out to be a fairly strong 1000m Maiden at home in October 2024," O'Halloran said.
"When I tried him over 1400m at Canberra (fifth) at his fourth start that campaign, I knew he couldn't run that far and sent him for a spell and decided to keep him to sprint distances next time.
"When he came back he was just beaten first-up over 1000m at Canberra in May last year, then bolted in at Bathurst and has kept on improving."
O'Halloran said he was also encouraged about Mal Coupe's likely improvement by words from one his clients, West Australian-based Michael Ryan.
"Michael is a real student of breeding, and told me that Mal Coupe was particularly well bred," he explained.
. Mal Coupe was O'Halloran's 35th career winner and the 103rd for the Hawkesbury training base so far this season.
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