It was a first for Wilde Racing, training a Flemington quinella with Hit The Road Jack winning and stable mate Dashing Duchess a close second.
Sent over from New Zealand by Shaun Phelan and his team, Hit The Road Jack arrived to us in terrific order. He surprised us with a great first up run on the flat at Caulfield before swapping to the hurdles and careering away with a maiden hurdle victory at Warrnambool his next start. Switching back to the flat on Saturday to keep him ticking over for another hurdle run in a couple of weeks Hit The Road Jack was too good for his rivals. As the rain tumbled down, it certainly enhanced the chances in his favour from stable mate Dashing Duchess. Hit The Road Jack is your typical, tough kiwi stayer who loves the mud.
It was a great honour to win the Deane Lester Flemington Cup in memory of Deane who throughout his life was associated with Wilde Racing. To quinella the race was an even bigger thrill.
Congratulations to the winning connections.
