Racing
Highland Blaze prevails in Grand National Hurdle
Highland Blaze has led throughout to claim the Australian Hurdle at Sandown.
Shane Jackson said there was ten times the excitement in training his first Grand National Hurdle victory than when successful twice as a jockey.
Highland Blaze led throughout to claim Sunday's Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown to give Jackson a second feature hurdle win for the season.
Jackson won the Grand National Hurdle on Cougar Express in 2018 and Ablaze in 2020 as a jockey but was more nervous ahead on Sunday's contest than when riding over jumps.
"I won two of these as a rider, but I was never as nervous and didn't get as much of a kick afterwards," Jackson said flanked by his wife Lauren and children.
Under the guidance of Jordan Hart, Highland Blaze scored a 5-length win from last year's victor Affluential with Right Now a short-head away third.
Highland Blaze entered Jackson's stable after original trainer Jackson Pallot, based at Bairnsdale, called an end to his training career.
The gelding ran first-up for Jackson in Australia's longest flat race, the Jericho Cup (4600m) at Warrnambool in December before embarking on a jumps career.
"What a horse," Jackson said.
"He's been in work for I don't know how long.
"He came to me before the Jericho Cup last year, he had two weeks off after the Jericho and he's just done everything we've asked of him.
"He's been across to Adelaide and back and he just gives his all every time he comes to the races.
"It's brilliant for the jockey. Here is a kid that claims three kilos, he ridden only a couple of winners and he's ridden him like a true professional."
Jackson said he gave Hart no instructions and the young rider took gelding to the front.
"These young jockeys don't pin them down with too many instructions because they over complicate things," Jackson said.
"I said 'just let the horse do the talking'. The horse took him there early, he didn't interfere with him, he was happy, and that was the winning of the race.
"The one time I gave him instructions, was the one time he was beaten, and I probably gave him too may instructions.
"It was a perfect ride and what a beauty of a ride."
Jackson has no doubts Highland Blaze can extend out to 5000m and could be a Grand Annual Steeplechase horse next year, 'if he can jump a fence'.
Highland Blaze will bypass the final jumps meeting of the season at Ballarat on August 17 to concentrate on a second attempt at the Jericho Cup in December.
"He can go to the paddock for a little while and we'll go back to the Jericho with a different horse," Jackson said.
"He wasn't with me long enough before the Jericho last year.
"He's a bit of a sook and it takes him a while to get into his routine, so a freshen up now and he's already got enough points to go to the Jericho.
"So, we'll aim for that."
Prismatic, who was fifth across the line, was declared a non-starter by Racing Victoria stewards for running inside the markers on the turn out of the straight on the first lap.
Stewards deemed there was pressure from horses around Prismatic that caused the gelding to go inside the markers, so instead of disqualifying him, they declared Prismatic a non-starter.
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