DOZENS of races were run at the weekend and some potential Spring stars emerged but it was a three-horse jumps race at Ballarat on Sunday that arguably stole the show.
The ‘experts’ were waxing lyrical after West Australian Cosmic Crusader won the G2 Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield and booked a berth in the G1 Memsie on Saturday week.
But nothing quite compared with the win 24 hours later of The Cunning Fox in the J J Houlihan Hurdle. He only had two rivals but the grey came from a seemingly impossible position on the turn to claim an unbelievable victory on a day when Andi Win was entitled to demand the spotlight completing the Grand National Hurdle and Steeplechase double.
Ironically, it was the daring tactics adopted by Daryl Horner jnr on Unteethered (which ran last, nailed near home) that created one of the best jumping contests of the season and warranted a better fate.
Unteethered had a lead big enough to win a Melbourne Cup on the turn and even Tommy Ryan who rode the The Cunning Fox gave the Patrick Payne-trained eight-year-old little chance of reeling in the leader when he was at least 15 lengths behind turning for home.
But he completed the mission impossible taking his jumps record to eight wins from nine starts and prompting Ryan to declare: ‘He had no right to run Unteethered down.’
Joe O’Neill, who heads the syndicate that races The Cunning Fox, admitted he thought the odds-on Houlihan winner was beaten. “There were only three starters but this was one of the most exciting jumps races you would ever see.”
Later in the day a landmark 12-length Grand National Steeple win erased the nightmare for trainer Shane Jackson and jockey Tommy Ryan after Noonday Gun loomed to win last year only to stumble over the final flight.
“It shows you how important jumps racing is,” Jackson declared. “This horse would do well to win a (Benchmark) 58 on the flat and he’s won probably $300,000-$400,000 prizemoney in a (jumps) season.
“To start as a Maiden hurdler at the May Carnival and to progress, let alone to run over steeplechase fencing in the same season … all credit to the horse. He’s as tough as old boots and we love him to bits.”
Sunday’s meeting capped another successful jumps season where the criticism from the animal activists continued but the poor dumb pricks don’t realise without this option some of these horses would have wound up at the ‘doggers’ or roaming a paddock in steamy hot or bitterfly cold conditions will little shade or warmth.
This season saw another great jumper retired when Stern Idol ran his last race. Connections are hoping they can find a place for him at Living Legends.
Perth owner Bob Peters was on hand to watch Cosmic Crusader add the P B Lawrence to his recent Bletchingly win in Melbourne. Whether he can make it a hat-trick in the Memsie on Saturday week at Caulfield remains debatable.
On the plus side Cosmic Crusader has earned his tilt at Group 1 glory taking his record to eight wins and four placings from his last 12 starts and his earnings close to $1.75mn.
But critics highlight that the horses he beat in the Lawrence included nine-year-old Private Eye that hasn’t won for almost a year and Evaporate which was first-up and worked overtime.
Add to that the fact that Ten Commandments ran faster time in a Benchmark 90 earlier in the day, albeit the sectionals ensured that race was run quicker.
But the West Aussie will be stepping out against proven Group 1 performers next assignment so there is a good argument that the Memsie could well test him.
