The Garry Lefoe trained I Am The Fox ran out a worthy winner of the $110 000 Alice Springs Cup, after taking the race by the scruff of the neck approaching the final turn and surging away in the home straight to score far more comfortably than the official winning margin of just over a length suggests.
One race earlier jockey Jason Lyon had to settle for second place in the $100 000 Pioneer Sprint, but he certainly wasn’t going to die wondering in the Cup.
Lyon sent I Am The Fox on a strong, surging run out very wide on the track in the sweep to the home turn and then asked the seven-year-old son of Foxwedge to sustain that run on straightening.
I Am The Fox didn’t hesitate and he quickly went past the free-running I Am Impinge, who had carted the field along at a strong gallop for most of the trip and then I Am The Fox, as quickly, opened up a winning lead to have the race won long before the line.
Paghman did come out of the pack and was closing up late but, from the moment he hit the front, I Am The Fox was never in any danger of defeat.
I Am Impinge stayed on for third place, which was a just reward for his bold front-running effort.
I Am The Fox provided a first Alice Springs Cup win for both Lefoe and Lyon.
“I couldn’t be more over the moon with this old horse. He is absolutely flying,” said Lefoe of I Am The Fox, who has now won four of his last six starts.
“We’ll get him home and into the paddock for a couple of weeks and then he’ll go on to the Darwin Cup now,” said Lefoe.
