Grand National Hurdle: Highland Blaze claims dominant Sandown win for trainer Shane Jackson
Bairnsdale trainer and part-owner Jackson Pallot sent Highland Blaze to Warrnambool horseman Shane Jackson to be prepared for the Jericho Cup on the flat last year but the gelding has since morphed into one of the state's most promising hurdlers.
Highland Blaze only had two weeks off in the nine months he had been with Jackson but had won five races on the flat and over hurdles before his Grand National triumph.
'He's been in work for I don't know how long before the Jericho Cup and he had two weeks off after the Jericho Cup but he's done everything we've asked of him,' Jackson said.
'He just gives his all every time he comes to the races.
'It's a great result.'
Jackson said young jockey Jordan Hart's early handling of the six-year-old won Highland Blaze the $250,000 contest.
Grand National Hurdle | Highland Blaze
Highland Blaze is victorious in a thrilling Grand National Hurdle ðŸ�† He finds reserves after leading throughout & bravely staves off his opposition ðŸ'«
ðŸ'° Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/r0r5LDPdrf
— Racing.com (@Racing) August 3, 2025
'He let him be where he was happy and that was the winning of the race because there wasn't much tempo,' Jackson said.
'That was the perfect ride and what a beauty of a horse.'
Jackson won the Grand National Hurdle twice as a jockey but said watching on as a trainer was much more nerve-racking than riding.
The John Leek Jr-trained Affluential finished second, five lengths from the winner while Right Now finished third.
The $2.50 favourite The Cunning Fox was pulled up with 1200m to run, ending the unbeaten run to start his hurdling career.
The Cunning Fox's jockey Tom Ryan said the Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained gelding 'just stopped'.
'He was going but in a couple of strides, he was going backwards,' Ryan said.
'He just stopped.
'I'm sure they'll find something wrong when the vets go over him because that's just not him.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
10 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Group 1 winner Skybird trials at Caulfield ahead of spring return
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Lightning Stakes winner Skybird continued her preparation for another first-up crack at a Group 1 target at Wednesday's Caulfield Heath trials. The Mitch Freedman-trained mare won the Lightning Stakes first-up down the Flemington straight in February but pulled up lame after her maiden Group 1 triumph, ending her autumn preparation. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Freedman has aimed the now five-year-old at next month's Group 1 Moir Stakes at The Valley. John Allen rode the daughter of Exosphere in a trial on the Caulfield Heath track in which Skybird finished five lengths from the winner Miss Roumbini. Allen said he was pleased with Skybird's first public appearance for six months. 'She went well enough,' Allen said. 'We weren't out there to do too much so she did everything she was asked.' • 'Blake will be riding whether he likes it or not!': Yeomans goes solo Allen said Skybird would love soft conditions for the $750,000 Moir Stakes on September 6. 'She likes a bit of wet ground too, so if she happens to get a bit of rain or something like that for The Valley, that would certainly help,' Allen said. Retirements of sprint stars such as Bella Nipotina and attractive Sydney sprints are again likely to split the nation's shortcourse elite in the spring. Allen said the current sprint picture could lead to more Group triumphs for Skybird, including at Flemington. • Comeback king set for Melbourne Group 1 spring riches 'They're probably an even bunch this season,' Allen said. 'She was quite dynamic up the straight (in the Lightning Stakes). 'Things did set up nicely for her (in the Lightning Stakes) but she still won impressively. 'Hopefully she can go on from that this prep.' Originally published as Group 1 Lightning Stakes winner Skybird trials at Caulfield ahead of spring return
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
2025 The Everest picture clears as key international star Lazzat ruled out
Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising is likely to be the only international starter in the $20 million The Everest this spring with French raider Lazzat ruled out of the world's richest turf race. Ka Ying Rising, ranked the number one sprinter in the world, is the dominant TAB fixed odds favourite at $1.80 to be the first overseas-trained sprinter to win The Everest, run at Royal Randwick on October 18. ATC's Nevesh Ramdhani said Ka Ying Rising was due to arrive in Sydney on September 22 and be prepared for The Everest out of the Canterbury training and quarantine facility. 'I'll be having more conversations with David (Hayes, trainer) soon but I understand he is bringing a travelling companion with Ka Ying Rising,'' Ramdhani said. 'David wants to give Ka Ying Rising a barrier trial on October 7 and we will accommodate his request. 'Ka Ying Rising will have a race in Hong Kong before he leaves, then the barrier trial 11 days before he runs in The Everest.'' But Ramdhani revealed he recently spoke with Lazzat 's French trainer Jerome Reynier and was told the sprinter will not be returning to Sydney this spring. The gelding finished a close second to Lake Forest in the Golden Eagle last year and went on to capture the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot in June. #ROYALASCOT — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 21, 2025 'Jerome told me that Lazzat did a fair bit of travelling last year, he came to Sydney and then Hong Kong so he won't be coming back for the spring,'' Ramdhani said. 'But Lazzat is being trained as a sprinter now and Jerome said if the horse is going well next year, he could be aimed at The Everest.''
News.com.au
20 hours ago
- News.com.au
War Eternal and Highlights to line up Saturday as Bjorn Baker looks to Winx Stakes with top seeds
Trainer Bjorn Baker will rely on War Eternal and Highlights in Saturday's $200,000 Spring Preview (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens with heavyweights Arapaho and Robusto both on a collision course for next week's Group 1 $1 million Winx Stakes (1400m). Baker, who is in Europe, nominated five horses for the spring tune-up with Group 1 Sydney Cup hero Arapaho – allocated a monster topweight of 65kg – a surprise addition to nominations. But if everything goes to plan, the smart stayer will line up over 1000m on Friday morning in a rescheduled Rosehill barrier trial before focusing on the Winx. Group 2 winning stablemate Robusto was down to run in last Saturday's Group 2 Missile Stakes but will now head straight to Saturday week's Winx Stakes after being lumped with 62.5kg in the Spring Preview. ' Highlights and War Eternal will go to the Spring Preview and while we were keen to run Robusto, we didn't expect him to get that much weight,' Baker's racing manager Luke Hilton said. 'With us wanting to back-up and run him in the Winx Stakes, to run him there with 62.5kg on a heavy track especially over 1400m and then back him up a week later (would have been too much). 'The Missile over 1200m would have been ideal leading in but unfortunately that didn't pan out. 'It's (the Spring Preview) a bit of a back up option for Arapaho just to see what happens but the plan is to trial him on Friday.' • Adelaide River out as Lees prays for smooth Sailing at Kensington Group 3 -winning stayer Our Anchorage was also nominated for the Spring Preview but will kick off his campaign in Thursday week's Listed $200,000 Rowley Mile (1600m) at Hawkesbury. It leaves War Eternal and Highlights to fly the flag for the Baker stable in the Spring Preview with both horses poised to make their presence felt third-up from a break. 'War Eternal has been crying out for the 1400m and is ready to peak. He has a great third-up record as well and so does Highlights,' Hilton said. The Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) will take centre stage the following week at Royal Randwick with Robusto ($26) and Arapaho ($51) both outside chances to give Baker his second victory in the feature. A robust win to Robusto! A thrilling battle in the Listed Winter Challenge, with the @BBakerRacing galloper victorious! â›'ï¸� @JoshuaParr8 @Darby_Racing @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 19, 2025 Meanwhile, nominations were extended for the Listed $200,000 The Rosebud (1100m) on Saturday's card with three new entries entered. The Annabel and Rob Archibald -trained Peleus ($26) as well as Kris Lees duo Cantiamo and Wisnierska ($34) joined the nominations. Cantiamo was installed as a $6 chance in betting for but Lees said it was highly unlikely she would run with the filly set to return at Randwick Kensington on Wednesday, provided there was no overnight rain.
