COUNTRY Championships winner Another One will head to the $200,000 Wagga Town Plate next start after his triumph at Randwick on Saturday.
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Wagga trainer Gary Colvin described it as the highlight of his racing career as Another One ($8.50) went one better than last year to win the $500,000 Country Championships Final (1400m).
Wagga jockey Nick Heywood again delivered on the big stage, producing a daring ride on Another One to capture the rich country feature.
Another One got well back in the field but Heywood chose to save ground along the inside turning for home, a move that won the race.
The four-year-old Super One gelding did the rest, powering to the line to down the fast-finishing Commando Hunt ($9.00) by a half neck, with Amulet Street ($51) a further length back in third.
The win brought about great scenes of Colvin and connections celebrating wildly and it did not end there as around 40 of the connections kicked on at the Coogee Bay Hotel later that night.
Colvin, who then backed up at Gundagai on Sunday, described the win as the pinnacle of his training career.
"The horse done it. He's unbelievable. I'm so proud of the horse," Colvin said.
"The plan wasn't going our way. We got back a little bit, and they all got out and got going. We got right back but Nick didn't panic. We talked before the race and Nick said if we get back then I'm going to have to ride for luck and that's what happened. He was following Edit and thought I'm not going anywhere here so that's when he pulled him out and seen daylight and took off. He made up 10 to 20 lengths straight away.
"The other horse was coming but I was still confident we were going to get there. I was rapt. To win that race is a really great feeling. You've got the best horse in the country haven't you. And for that sort of money, Christ almighty."
The winner's cheque for Saturday's race was $287,000 and it took Another One's career earnings to $783,920 after being purchased by Colvin as a yearling for just $18,000.
After being offered big money for the horse early in his career, it was also vindication.
"We could have got $450,000 for him no worries but we never really wanted to sell him," Colvin said.
"It's good to go to Sydney and win because how many times do you go there thinking you've got a good chance and you get blown away. It shows you're doing the right thing.
"We were always confident he was going to run a big race but when they jumped I was a bit worried. He'd done so well since that Wagga win, I would have been very disappointed if he didn't go on with it."
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Colvin will now freshen Another One up for a crack at the Wagga Town Plate on May 5. Beyond that, the $1.3 million Kosciuszko in the spring will be the target.
"'ll probably run in the Town Plate, freshen him right up and then go for a spell. It's good for Wagga," he said.
"Then he'll go out and then the Kosciuszko will be on our radar. We've got to keep him fresh."
Meantime, Another One's win made it a successful half hour period for the Colvin family on Saturday with Gabby part of the Melbourne AFL Women's team to win through to next weekend's grand final in Adelaide.
Colvin was busy watching her daughter get through as Another One was entering the mounting yard.
"You wouldn't believe it, here we are and the horses are ready to go into the enclosure, and I'm on my phone, watching the footy. There was about three minutes to go and they were three points up, people thought I was mad," Colvin said.
"Gabby was out in the middle of the MCG watching the race. She got her coach's phone. She's there screaming and they were wondering what's going on."
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