Country Bumpkin overcame a last-minute jockey change to secure victory at Hawera on Sunday.
Originally, Jack Power was set to ride the 10-year-old, but due to a fall in a previous race, Portia Matthews stepped in as his replacement.
Matthews adopted a confident strategy aboard the son of St Reims, taking him straight to the front and leading the field by a considerable margin for most of the race.
In the final stages, Kevin Myers-trained horses Hey Happy and Mandorani gave chase, but they couldn’t catch Country Bumpkin, who clinched a convincing four-length win.
This race marked Country Bumpkin’s return to competition after finishing sixth in the Grand National Hurdles (4200m) at Riccarton the previous month.
Trainer Niall Quinn now has his sights set on another Prestige Jumping assignment.
Despite a challenging outing in Christchurch, Quinn expressed satisfaction with Country Bumpkin’s recent form, attributing it to the horse’s impressive work leading up to the race.
Country Bumpkin has historically performed well at this track, having previously won his second steeplechase here two years ago.
Quinn praised Portia Matthews for her ride, highlighting the horse’s versatility and ability to perform under different riding styles.
After returning to racing following a two-year injury-enforced hiatus in May, Country Bumpkin has now won three of his eight starts since his comeback.
Quinn is optimistic about his progress and has his sights set on the Great Northern meeting at Te Rapa in two weeks as the next challenge for the horse.
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