The MASSIVE childhood hurdle jockey had to overcome to become Caulfield Cup champion as stayer Duke De Sessa claims the $5million prize

Duke De Sessa won the $5 million Caulfield Cup, the richest 2400m turf handicap race in the world.

Ridden by Harry Coffey and trained by Ciaron Maher, Duke De Sessa held off a late challenge from pre-race favourite, Buckaroo.

It was a great triumph story for Coffey, celebrating his 29th birthday, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was six weeks old and is now a Caulfield Cup winner.

‘How do I feel? Spectacular,” Coffey said after the race.

“I just couldn’t believe he was still running and the Caulfield Cup had Harry Coffey’s name next to it,” Coffey said.

‘It’s just phenomenal. It’s not supposed to happen to people like me.

“I’m considered a fighter and people like to laugh that I’m a fighter and a country boy, but country boys don’t win many Caulfield Cups.

“To be honest, I couldn’t get the horse up. I just let him roll and he and I had a little moment… I actually can’t express the love and happiness at how well this horse ran today.’

It was Maher’s second Caulfield Cup victory, eight years after his star mare Jameka won.

It also means Ciaron Maher becomes the first trainer to win the Everest and Caulfield Cup on the same day after Bella Nipotina saluted in the richest race on grass.

“He had the right form coming in. He did four 2,000-meter races and by the time he gets to the mile and a half, he loves cuts on the track,” Maher said.

‘And how good is Harry Coffey? Harry, I was talking to him there after his last race and he said he gets excited and likes to lose weight when he gets the chance.

Fair play to him. He rode it with confidence, he rode it well. “It was a pretty easy surveillance.”

Third home was Land Legend, who failed to go with Duke De Sessa when Coffey got loose at the 600m mark.

There was drama before the race when Warmonger crashed through the gates and delayed the start.