Despite the form guide not favouring Detonator Jack’s prospects in the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final, a confluence of circumstances allowed the seven-year-old to rediscover his top form.
Having not won in 952 days previously, Detonator Jack finished without a rival behind him in the David Bourke Handicap at his prior start. However, he showed a significant improvement third-up to claim Saturday’s Listed mile feature by a narrow margin of a short neck from Freedom Rally ($31), with Just Folk ($15) securing third place three-quarters of a length further back.
Sent off as a $20 outsider under the guidance of John Allen, Detonator Jack secured his first win since claiming The Gong at Kembla Grange in November 2023. National assistant trainer Jack Turnbull revealed that the stable employed a variety of training techniques to help the gelding recapture his former prowess.
“There were a lot of elements of the race today that worked for Jack in the sense of fitness, he was third up, blinkers were on, we got a nice cut in the ground and we drew low,” Turnbull stated. “Still a little bit hesitant whether or not he wanted to be there or not, but credit to the whole team, we’ve been playing around them at home, tread, jumping, different track gallops, just trying to rejuvenate him and we got it done.”
“Tread training was a big factor, Track Kat (Katrina Anderson) had a bit to do with him there, and we’ve just schooled him down at Cranbourne. Obviously it’s been a long time between drinks, but we’ve kept saying that at home he’s wanted to be there, and he wants to do it, we just hadn’t seen it race day.”
Turnbull also highlighted the strategic decision to book John Allen, who had guided the horse to victory on three occasions early in his career. Allen, however, admitted to having doubts about the horse’s ability to rebound so swiftly.
“He’s always had good ability and he’s obviously won better races than today,” Allen commented. “I was very sceptical looking at his run the last day, I thought it was very plain, but Ciaron said he’d changed a few things up during the week and done a bit of schooling with him and stuff, just trying to sharpen him up and it’s certainly done the trick.”
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