"You couldn't see any part of Sue except her eyes," Coppins said before congratulating Nelson and wife Carol for the double and presenting them with the trophy on behalf of the sponsors for winning over 5500m after Bay-born Kuru rode The Shackler to line honours in over 3100m.
Thompson, who was perched on the top-most balcony of the Hylton Smith Members' Stand, yelled out "smile" at Paul Nelson as he fronted up to the TV cameras while waiting for Kuru to tie up the loose ends of post-race formalities with Amanood lad.
"I was covered in mud and I had a big smile in my eyes and face," said Thompson, of Hastings, who was a 26-year-old amateur in 1987 when she became the first female rider to clinch the steeplechase on Storm in a figure-8 course in Trentham.
She said the twist in Trentham's course design wasn't any more challenging when compared with the Hastings one but they both had their degrees of difficulties.
"It was a thrill to watch Paul and Carol win it again. It's marvellous to see any Hawke's Bay people win a race," she said, adding once a horse was trained in the Bay it automatically assumed the tag of "local horse".
John Blair, after acknowledging Racing Minister David Bennett was his "neighbour", recounted at the Winner's Circle the trepidation of engaging in with an unknown Nelson when Cambridge trainer Ben Foote pointed in the direction of the Bay.
"I'd never heard of or met Paul before so I said to Ben, 'What the hell are you taking me down there for?'
"Ben said he knows what he's doing and he does," Blair said of Nelson amid laughter and clinking of wine and beer glasses.
The jocular owner said among Nelson's attributes was his habit of phoning the owners to update them on horses the night before the meeting. He saluted Kuru for his prowess.
Despite a hiccup in the previous Wellington Hurdles race, when The Shackler made hard work of the of the final two flights - going down on his nose at the penultimate and rapping the last - Paul Nelson said Kuru rode The Shackler and Amanood Lad "beautifully".
Nelson revealed his stable employees Corrina McDougal and Georgina Crowe worked with The Shackler and Amanood lad, respectively.
Kuru received the John Bamber Memorial Challenge Cup from Coppins who told the audience the late Bamber was Hastings-born jockey Jonathan Riddell's uncle.
Riddell's grandfather, Jack Bamber, lifted the trophy 81 years ago in Ireland when he won a point-to-point jumps event. Riddell won the trophy on Stitched when the Wellington Steeplechase was held at Palmerston North in 2006.
"John was always passionate about Trentham for racing so when he passed on he wanted to make sure every year this trophy would be presented to the winning jockey," Coppins said.
A thrilled Nelson echoed Blair's sentiments in thanking Foote.
"We've had a really good association with Ben for many years and when he felt he couldn't do justice to the horse this year he sent him down to us," he told NZ Racing Desk.
Foote, who made that decision to concentrate on younger flat members of his team, prepared the 12-year-old brown gelding to win five times over the big fences, including the Great Northern Steeplechase and two McGregor Grant Steeplechases.
Amanood Lad was making his third appearance from Nelson's stable and he travelled easily behind the pace before Kuru made his move across the top.
"He stayed switched on throughout and there was a gap at the 600 and he shot through," Cambridge-based Kuru said.
"I thought I might have got run down but to his credit he dug deep and won well.
"It's very special, I grew up here."
Kuru was having only his third ride on Amanood Lad and his confidence was given a pre-race boost when he laid eyes on the rising 13-year-old in the birdcage.
"He looked well, I couldn't believe it," he said.
"Paul has done a great job with him.
"It was only his third run back and he had 70kg over 5500m."
Wise Men Say was runner-up to Amanood lad while Nells Bell was third in front of The Oysterman in a field of seven after two horses were scratched.
