The Cunning Fox (NZ) (Reliable Man) has capped off a dramatic fifteen minutes for the Payne and Kuru combination, as the grey gripped onto victory in the J.J. Houlahan Hurdle at Ballarat on Sunday.
Owned by Prime Thoroughbreds, the six-year-old won his first two jumps starts by a combined 17 lengths and started a $1.80 favourite for the A$150,000 feature.
He jumped smartly under Aaron Kuru throughout and sauntered up to leader Point Nepean ($2.80) upon turning, but Shane Jackson’s galloper refused to lie down in the straight.
However, The Cunning Fox kept finding, raising a final effort in the final 100 metres and triumphing by a half-length on the line.
It was an immense effort by Point Nepean, all but overturning the 12-length margin between the two horses last start, but all honours were with the winner, who maintains his unbeaten record over the obstacles.
There was no shortage of winning owners on course for the ding-dong battle, and Michelle Payne, who will soon officially join her brother Patrick in a training partnership, was thrilled with the gritty win – even if it was a bit nervier than she envisioned.
“It was a bit closer than we were hoping to see, but he really lifted hard, and it was just great to see,” she said.
“We looked quite comfy on the corner, but I’d watched him intently in the race, and he’d pulled quite hard, sometimes didn’t have cover – he did it the tough way.
“I think that’s what found him wanting in the end, but it was a great ride.
“Great for Prime Thoroughbreds, for Jo O’Neill … he’s just a really exciting jumper.”
The Cunning Fox was bred by Sven Hanson and was a $34,000 yearling purchase by O’Neill on the Gold Coast. Hanson and wife Carina bred and raced Reliable Man, who stands at Westbury Stud in New Zealand.
The win completed a running double for stable and jockey, but the first of these was only confirmed half an hour after they hit the line, when Nassak Diamond (NZ) (Roc de Cambes) was promoted to first in the stewards’ room.
Last year’s Jericho Cup winner looked set to get past Symon Wilde’s Hit The Road Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry) late, but the latter shifted out and bumped Payne’s jumper, prompting Kuru to fire in a protest.
It took a long time for said protest to play out, but eventually, almost as runners were leaving the mounting yard for the next race, the objection was officially upheld.
Payne praised Kuru for his professionalism between the two events, with the Kiwi jockey barely out of the stewards’ room before he was back aboard a horse.
“Aaron obviously had the protest, had no time to prepare – it’s not easy for riders to have that sort of preparation going into a race like this,” she said.
“But he got the job done, and so did the horse. For Patrick and all the team, it’s obviously a big thrill.”
