Racing: Gold Jet run off his feet

Tommy Hazlett has not given up hope of winning Melbourne's A$200,000 Grand National Steeplechase with Gold Jet.

The pair looked anything like National winners in finishing last in Gold Jet's Australian debut in Saturday's A$75,000 Macdonald Steeplechase at Moonee Valley.

Hazlett warned in the Weekend Herald that Gold Jet could be vulnerable in this race, but admits he did not expect to finish last. He underestimated the pace of the race.

"They ran him off his feet from the moment they jumped out of the barrier. We never got into the race."

There were positives for Hazlett though.

"He made a terrible mistake of the third fence, but it was a bit of a blessing because from then on he jumped perfectly.

"Ideally you would have liked to see him finish a couple of lengths closer, but you can't emphasise enough that around Moonee Valley it's simply a speed contest. They jump two fences then go around a corner, then they jump two more and go around another corner.

"When the favourite [Topzoff] fell at the third-last Gold Jet got a bit hooked up and lost a couple of lengths."

Hazlett is reasonably confident the 4500m of the National will be different from Saturday's 3200m "sprint".

"It would be suicide to go out as hard as they did on Saturday but most of the jockeys in Melbourne are saying that with these new fences they're using in Australia now, they go pretty hard in most races.

"If they go half a second to a second slower per 200m in the National then Gold Jet will be a big hope to win."

Hazlett still sees Topzoff as the horse to beat in the National.

"He was absolutely jogging when he fell three fences out yesterday. The rest were scrubbing up and his rider was sitting on him.

"He's not as good at Flemington as at Moonee Valley, but he's still a good horse and can win the National."