Popular jumps jockey Tom Ryan made the most of a call up to celebrate feature success at Ballarat on Sunday, winning the $100,000 J J Houlahan Hurdle aboard Enchanted Elle.
Will Gordon rode the mare to victory at her previous two starts but elected to partner Farag in the 3250-metre event, leaving it to Ryan to guide Enchanted Elle to an all-the-way win.
It was Ryan’s first ride aboard the daughter of Jakkalberry and he was thrilled to click with her.
“She’s so tough and she’s so rapid at her hurdles,” he said.
“She’s a proper hurdler; she’s so quick, she spends no time in the air, she gets about a centimetre over the top of them and there’s no waiting around with her. She’s a joy to ride.”
Ryan did not tamper with Enchanted Elle’s on-pace racing style, allowing her to stride out with a healthy buffer throughout the first half of the race before giving her a breather inside the final 1000m and ramping things up before the field straightened for home.
The eight-year-old, who started $6.50, tired late but lasted to score by half-a-length from Sing For Peace ($3.70), who finished two lengths clear of third placegetter Right Now ($5.50).
Farag, who started $2.40 favourite, was beaten before straightening and was pulled up out of the race by Gordon.
The victory completed a fairytale week for the family with the Symon Wilde-trained mare’s win coming 40 minutes after her older brother Hit The Road Jack won the $50,000 Gotta Take Care Hurdle (3600m).
Enchanted Elle and Hit The Road Jack also both won at Coleraine seven days earlier.
Wilde said the feature win was just reward for a great season and the Warrnambool horseman has high hopes that Enchanted Elle can be a force at her hometown carnival in May next year.
“She’s had a wonderful season, she’s won four from six, she was second in another one and the race she didn’t perform in, I backed her up when I shouldn’t, so it was my mistake,” Wilde said.
“So, her record should be really almost perfect. She’s a dashing little thing, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she can do next year. She might end up in a Galleywood Hurdle, possibly.”
