"He gave me a better ride than I gave him," said Finbarr Leahy as he unsaddled Nessun Dorma at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Nessun Dorma's two-from-four record proved he is one of the hurdling stars of the future, but Irish import Leahy was not prepared to take too much of the credit this time.
It was not the ride of the day, Nessun Dorma coming very wide when challenging on the home bend, but Leahy said he had wanted to teach the horse to race in a field.
"I wanted him to settle in behind the bunch, but it meant he had to go four and five wide from the 800m. It didn't matter though, he just kept pressing on.
"He's the best jumper I've ridden - I can't wait for the big races this year."
Piri Casey and Patsy Riley won consecutive races at Ellerslie with Nessun Dorma and Tracnfeld. They have only a couple of horses in work.
Patsy Riley keeps Tracnfeld and recent winner Ocean Way going in memory of her longtime partner Rex Sims who collapsed and died only days after winning the group one Easter Handicap at Ellerslie with Zayyad.
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There are few bigger jumps in class than from a minor supporting win at the Pakuranga Hunt to fillies and mares company at the Melbourne spring carnival, but Zabeels Angel might have the class to measure up.
It looked that way with her runaway win.
"We'll probably go to Melbourne on that run," said owner John Wells.
Bob Vance, husband of trainer Jenny Vance, said while the rapidly improving Zabeel mare needs some give in the track to produce her best, even though she probably does not need it soft like she struck Saturday.
Vance shrugs off any suggestion the mare's seemingly light frame means she is a fair way off physical development.
"The fact she's so long in the body makes her look lighter than she is."
Zabeels Angel will leave for Melbourne in two weeks. No specific races have been decided on.
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If the TAB ran an early market on Royal Ways "doing a Hunterville" next June you'd have to take short odds this far out.
Winning three consecutive Mercedes Great Northern Steeplechases is about as hard as it gets, but accidents look the biggest threat to Royal Ways doing it at this point.
His Pakuranga Hunt Cup win Saturday was stunning. He looked out of the race when he botched the fence by the 1600m on the last round, but ended up winning easily.
"He was just coming into the race when he landed flat-footed at the 1600m," said trainer Tony Cole "and I thought that's the end of him.
"He picked himself up and was in touch going up the hill. But when they started to come down the hill there were four in front of him and they were all lightweights and I thought with 65kg on his back he'd never pick them up."
It was clear halfway between the last two jumps Royal Ways was travelling better than anything.
"The heavy rain before the race helped us and so did Kenny Browne putting in his pacemaker (Lost In The Flood).
"It probably helped Kenny's horses but it helped us too. Royal Ways pulled too hard when he was beaten here last start and with the pace right on this time he dropped the bit beautifully."
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Sydney rider Glen Boss has landed the ride on Sky Heights for the Melbourne spring carnival.
Sky Heights' connections were waiting on former regular rider Damien Oliver to declare for the carnival, but Oliver wants to keep his options open.
Shy Heights will miss the Caulfield and Melbourne cups to concentrate on the weight-for-age races, leading up to the Cox Plate and Oliver is juggling Shogun Lodge as his Cox Plate ride.
He is also keen to keep his options open with Kiwi mare Showella, to whom he is committed for the $A250,000 Craiglee Stakes on Saturday week.
Boss was a natural second choice - he has had two rides on Sky Heights for wins in the Rosehill Guineas and AJC Derby.
Racing: Leahy gives hurdler Nessun Dorma lesson
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