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A brilliantly judged ride by Harry Coffey aboard Excelleration denied South Australia and The Map a fairytale victory in the $350,000 Group 2 TAB Adelaide Cup (3200m) at Morphettville on Monday.

Trained by former jumps jockey Richard Cully, the last-start Launceston Cup winner was ridden for luck before they dived up the inside late in the race and nosed out a gallant The Map and Jamie Kah in a thrilling finish.

A $6000 purchase from the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Excelleration was heavily backed pre-race to challenge The Map for favouritism.

Coffey was quick to praise Cully's training abilities and credited his pre-race tactics for the win.

"He's a classy horse and Richie's a brilliant trainer,'' Coffey said.

"We were unsure coming to Adelaide being two weeks between runs (since Launceston), but it was the right decision,'' he said.

After finding himself in an awkward spot early, Coffey said he was in two minds coming to the home turn, before he followed the pre-race plan and saved ground inside horses.

"Richie wanted to me to cut the corner,'' Coffey said.

"I was keen to try and get Jamie's back, but he (Cully) wanted to save ground and it worked,'' he said.

It wasn't a race without drama.

Leading contender Amade dumping jockey Zac Spain on the way to the start before he was cleared fit to run.

And it didn't end there.

Spain losing his irons when they broke early in the race, and in an amazing display of horsemanship, the Phillip Stokes galloper still loomed like a winning chance on the home turn before they peaked late to run fourth.

Comeback galloper Skelm was solid in fourth while local jockey Kayla Crowther finished five aboard the Danny O'Brien-trained Roaring Engine.