Replacement Hanley leaps to the fore

Waitete Boy jumps the last fence on his way to victory in the McGregor Grant Steeplechase. Photo / Supplied

It's not a new quote, but you never know when you're winning in the racing game.

Tony Ihaka knew he was on the winner of the McGregor Grant Steeplechase, which was why he was sitting in the sauna at Ellerslie racecourse at 7.30am yesterday.

He lost 3kg in that part of the exercise, but after two prior rides on the card was so overtaken by exhaustion he couldn't see properly.

The course doctors demanded he be stood down for the rest of the programmes. The Waitete Boy ride in the McGregor Grant went to Nathan Hanley, who hadn't ridden a jumps winner in three years, and the job was a total success.

Hanley is a talented jumps jockey who had two years off undergoing a shoulder reconstruction.

"I've ridden a couple of highweight winners since, but not over the jumps."

Waitete Boy was always in contention and in winning he reminded Hanley of his last jumps winner, high-class act Just The Man.

"He's so much like Just The Man, a free-going animal," said Hanley.

Tony Ihaka was the first to see the jockey's trophy Hanley picked up.

"I knew he'd win, but when I came up short, I might have got to where I could have ridden the horse, but I wouldn't have been at my best and I didn't want to do that to the owners and to the horse," said Ihaka.

The Great Northern Steeplechase is an obvious target and to most the Waitete Boy ride may be in question.

Not to Nathan Hanley.

"If Tony can make the weight it's his ride," said Hanley.

"If not, I've got my hand up."

Favourite Climbing High dropped rider Shelley Houston at the jump by the 1600m starting point on the last round.

He hadn't looked happy until that point, mixing his jumping.

Commentator George Simon said: "You don't want to hear what Shelley Houston is saying, I don't think you'd understand her."

You would have been able to understand the Cambridge jumps jockey, you just wouldn't have been able to repeat her quotes.

Certainly, not in a newspaper.

You know a horse has to be good when Ashburton jockey Tommy Hazlett and Cambridge trainer Ann Browne start raving about it.

Rave might be too strong a word, but in context probably not.

"He's top class," said Hazlett after Big Brownie scored an appropriate win in the KS Browne Hurdles.

Big Browne was bred by the late Ken Browne, after whom the race was named and is owned and trained by Ann Browne.

Big Brownie is a magnificent physical type who looks like he can only become stronger.

"He takes a bit of riding. He likes to play his own game," said Hazlett.

As a 6-year-old with limited experience, Big Browne is destined for the headlines. Favourite Ho Down ran a mysterious race to finish fourth.

He dropped out from a prominent position at the 100m to be a clear second last at the 600m, then picked the bit up at the last fence and ran on strongly to finish close up.

"That was remarkable," said rider Jo Rathbone.

"He was going nowhere at the 500m - I thought he was going to run last.

"He came around the home turn badly and it wasn't until the last fence that he switched on and got going again."

Trainer Paul Nelson said he discovered mud in the blinkers of Ho Down, which could have blinded the horse.