"IT'S a tear-jerker this one."
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That's how emotional trainer Chris Frisby described the feeling of winning the the Shirley Turnbull Memorial with stable star Our Uncle Sam on Saturday night at the Bathurst Paceway.
It was not the first time Frisby had trained the winner of the annual feature - he also did it in 2005 with Dinki Di - nor was it the first time Our Uncle Sam had won at Group level for him.
But that the 2,795 metres, Group 3 feature was named in honour of the matriarch of the Turnbull family he so respects was enough to put a tear in his eye.
"It's a tear-jerker this one because I knew Shirley so well, she was a lovely person. I love AD, he's a gent and to win this sort of race is special," the Perthville trainer said.
"I know I'm related to them, but they're great people. AD is good for the game, the whole family is good for the game, so to win these sort of races - they are just races you love to win."
Since his victory in the feature 15 years earlier, Frisby had come close to winning it again.
In 2018 Our Uncle Sam started as the $2.40 favourite, but finished a 2.5m third to Brad Hewitt's Our Triple Play.
Twelve months ago he got closer for Team Frisby, but they had to settle for second with Our Uncle Sam as he finished 1.6m behind victor Alta Orlando.
But as they say, third time lucky. Luck and a superb drive from his son Anthony Frisby on the $8 chance.
"This is the third one he's been in, he was third, second and now first, so he's headed in the right direction," Frisby laughed.
"It was a good drive, I was hoping he wouldn't pull out, I was hoping he wouldn't go in the death seat. An old bloke told me years ago down in Melbourne, a very good ole trainer Gordon Rothacker, one of the best, he said when they're over 2,000 metres don't pull out until the top of the straight."
Driver Anthony Frisby certainly didn't look for the death seat from his barrier 11 draw, instead settling one out and four back as $2.40 favourite Whereyabinboppin set the tempo in front.
It was not until they ran past the 800m mark that he made a move, opting to guide Our Uncle Sam three wide when sensing a move coming behind him from 2019 victor Alta Orlando.
Our Uncle Sam got out in front of Alta Orlando, but he still had a host of work to do and got pushed out four wide as he hunted for the lead.
But he kept hunting and he got the lead down the straight. Pay Me Sam ($8.50, Gavin Fitzpatrick) came at him late, but it was to be Our Uncle Sam's night as he held on to win by a head.
Track record holder Fouroeight ($61, Tom Pay) was a further 3.3m back in third.
Just as his father enjoyed the win, so too did Anthony Frisby.
"It was really good to win that because they [Turnbulls] are such a great family. It's good to get a win on a night like this, let alone a good race like this," he said.
"He's come second and third the last couple of years and he went both in good but just kept getting duded.
"But that was a great run. They just had the speed on from the get-go which helped us."
Frisby praised the way Our Uncle Sam fought on all the way to the line, the six-year-old Sportswriter x Rooftop Fairy gelding clocking a 1:57.6 mile rate.
"I thought I'd just drive for a bit of luck in between them and he just got a good run. At the top of the straight I thought I had them then he just got a bit wobbly about the 100 mark, but once he seen them coming, he kept knuckling," he said.
After Our Uncle Sam took his record to 22 wins from 94 starts, Chris Frisby hinted that he plans to target more feature races with his stable star in Victoria.
"I must say the race wasn't as strong as it has been in the past, you've got to be honest, but I was just so happy," he said.
"You always worry with your horse if they're headed down, you can't always be on top ... but that tells me he'll take a trip now to Melbourne and race in some of the cups down there."
The Lagoon master-trainer driver Steve Turnbull had two chances in the race named after his mother but both were outsiders and did not figure with $151 chance Maximus Red placing 10th and $101 contender Firestorm Red fifth.
While not able to win the race this year, he was still thankful for the memorial to be the headline race of the Boxing Day meeting.
"We are so grateful to the Bathurst Club for continuing to honour mum in this way," he told Harness Racing NSW
"Dad turned 90 earlier in the year and it means so much to him and all of our extended family."