KEY POINTS:
Isaac Lupton's year of "disappointments" just gets better.
The Waverley jumps jockey posted his fourth feature win of the year when he combined with Hypnotize to win the $40,000 Pakuranga Hunt Cup Steeplechase at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Lupton's list of feature wins started in April when he rode the Taranaki-trained Blase in the A$160,000 ($178,000) Great Eastern Steeplechase at Oakbank, South Australia.
Then followed victory aboard Black Eagle in the $60,000 Wellington Steeplechase at Trentham last month and it was backed up with a win aboard Gauchito Bastado in the $60,000 Grand National Steeplechase at Riccarton, Christchurch, this month.
At the time of the Grand National win, Lupton described the year as one of disappointments because he had fallen from some top jumpers inother races.
He reiterated the same comment. "It didn't feel like a good season. But I suppose it is turning out all right."
Saturday's win continued a remarkable record for Lupton in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup.
It was his third win in a row in the race following victories on Bart in 2005 and Real Tonic last year.
Real Tonic won the Pakuranga Hunt Cup by 19 lengths and went on to win the $100,000 Great Northern Steeplechase at the same course a fortnight later.
Lupton was replaced on Real Tonic in the Great Northern by Melbourne-based former New Zealand jockey Brett Scott but was hopeful the same situation would not be repeated.
Hypnotize's trainer and part-owner Raymond Connors said Lupton was unlikely to be replaced. "It's hard to take off a winning jockey."
The Great Northern is run on September 8 over 6400m.
- NZPA
