An early move from apprentice jockey Zara Lewis made all the difference on Tuesday as Japingka saluted at Dubbo Turf Club.
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Trainer Kieren Hazelton had seen his five-year-old mare fall just short in recent times and she made the trip to Dubbo having run second twice in her past three starts.
But Lewis made sure she wouldn't get run down at Tuesday's Melbourne Cup Day meeting as she kicked clear early in the Ronald McDonald's House Charity Benchmark 50 Handicap (1200m).
The gap was three lengths at the midway point of the race and while the chasing pack did all they could, the margin was still the same when Lewis and Japingka passed the winning post.
"She makes you nervous because she's the type of horse that always threatens to win but finds one better than her," Hazelton said.
"Zara took luck out of the occasion today, straight to the front and they couldn't catch her.
"I left it up to Zara. She generally jumps well in races but can occasionally be slow away so I said to Zara see how you jump and play it from there."
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Japingka went into Tuesday with a record of three wins and 10 placings from 31 starts.
All those victories have come on the non-TAB circuit and he jumped a $3.50 favourite on Tuesday after a delay to the start of the race.
As the horses had been coming into the mounting yard pre-race, the Peter Stanley-trained Twice The Value got loose.
The seven-year-old mare spent a brief amount of time running around outside the track near the carpark before she was rounded up and after passing a vet's exam she was able to take her place in the field.
Twice The Value ($13) then got away well and sat behind Dragon Bells ($12) early on.
But it wasn't long before Lewis made her move around the outside with Japingka and kicked clear from the field.
It was a strong gap as the field entered the straight and while the Krissie Simpkins-trained Superel ($3.80) threatened, Japingka fought on out in front and powered on to career win number four.
It was a welcome return to form for Hazelton, who hadn't tasted success since two wins in seven days with Occasional and Chesty in August.
"I had a bit of a lean run the last couple months but coming into the warmer months I've got a couple getting closer to running so hopefully there's a bit more luck," Hazelton said.
Hazelton's win came early in the day, while Dennis Bush-trained Hitman ($10) won the opener.
Trained at Forbes by Bush and ridden by Cavallo, five-year-old gelding Hitman broke through on Tuesday after failing to win in 24 prior starts.
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