Breakthrough wins rarely come along with better timing, or more literally, than the one scored by the locally trained Yak on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Michael Lunn trained five-year-old notched up their first career victory after a long wait in the opening Maiden Handicap at Orange's race at the top of the weekend.
But it was the circumstances leading up to the event that made it so peculiar.
READ ALSO:
The gelding was pegged to win big by Lunn in an earlier fixture at home in Dubbo the previous Sunday, but Yak and his jockey Mikayla Weir were both scratched from the proceedings moments before the maiden plate was set to begin.
"He's been racing very consistently, I thought he might have won the other day, but he broke through the gates," Lunn said following the win in Orange.
Bristling with energy, the gelding burst through the barriers at Dubbo before the race had officially begun, and got a good run in before being hauled back in line.
The eventual winner channelled plenty of that energy on Friday, at first falling short along the inside on the final turn as Garry Lunn trained Urus took the lead ahead of the final straight.
Despite a stacked pack trailing behind, Yak fought back to make it a two horse race for the finish line, and finally pushed ahead, out-stepping Garry Lunn's younger gelding and sneaking across the finish line a full half a margin ahead to tally up their maiden victory.
"He races a treat, it was a great ride and he won the race," Lunn said.
The heavy favourite, Matthew Smith's She's Justified, pulled in just behind Urus in third place to fill out the podium.
While certainly the most intriguing win for Lunn on the day, it wasn't the only victory the Dubbo trainer got to enjoy, with Club Town also finding the finishing line ahead of their rivals later on during the event.
With Grant Buckley in the saddle, the seven-year-old gelding battled down the final stretch to finish a hair ahead of the Melissa Harrison trained Justice Honor.
Buckley was in the saddle once again for another local favourite's win, providing a victory for Matter of Factor two races later.
Trained by Rodney Robb for the period of time where usual trainer Clint Lundholm is serving a suspension, the four-year-old mare charged home to salute ahead of the Ken Dunbar ridden and Andrew Molloy trained Valarian in the short-range Class 1 Handicap.
It was also a day of wins for some local jockeys, with Ken Dunbar taking out the final race of the day from the saddle of the Mike Van Gestel trained Charlie Chap.
The six-year-old finished just ahead Greg Ryan, who was in the saddle of Alfstar for Wayne Hudd.
Ryan had won early with Gary Portelli's Grazie.