KEY POINTS:
Mark Jones won the biggest race of his career for his "other father" when Waipawa Lad upset the stars in last night's New Zealand Free-For-All at Addington.
Jones drove the perfect race to sprint-lane his way past leader Baileys Dream, smashing the 2000m mobile national record in the process.
It may have been the richest and most important win of Jones' outstanding career, but for him it was more about paying back the loyalty of Waipawa Lad's trainer Dean Taylor.
Taylor has supported Jones since he started driving and the young horseman was grinning with satisfaction at handing him his biggest moment in racing.
"Apart from driving a group one winner for my own Dad [Peter Jones], this is the biggest buzz I could get in racing," said Jones.
"Dean has been amazing to me. He has supported me all along and is a great guy and just incredible to drive for.
"I have driven some terrible races for him but when I come back to the stables he acts like nothing went wrong.
"He has been a big part of my success in racing so to do something like this for him is a huge thrill."
Taylor's radical change of training tactics this season has been the key to transforming Waipawa Lad from open class battler to group one hero.
"Dean has given him lots of long, slow work and that has helped improve his stamina. He still isn't a stayer and never will be but over short trips he is as good as any of them."
He proved that by stopping the clock at 2:22 for the 2000m last night, a blistering 1:54.2 mile rate.
The win also qualified him for the semifinals of the Interdominions in Victoria in February. Jones is adamant Waipawa Lad should go.
"Dean doesn't really like traveling that much but I will talk him into it."
While Waipawa Lad was outstanding, the race was a disaster for punters with the heavily backed pair of Changeover and Monkey King both unplaced.
Neither had a hope after being forced to sit parked out and three wide respectively on the record pace and they weren't knocked around by their drivers when beaten.
It was left to Baileys Dream to claim second, a huge performance after his hard run in the New Zealand Cup on Tuesday, while Classic Cullen ran third in another huge turnaround after his poor Cup effort.
Cup winner Flashing Red was brave again in fourth after being three wide for most of the race, ahead of Sly Flyin.
The result - and that of the Cup on Tuesday - has left the open class pacing ranks with a confused look.
While Flashing Red is undoubtedly the king of the staying races, he may not race much in New Zealand again.
Monkey King looks the fastest of the open class stars, with Baileys Dream the most consistent, ahead of Sly Flyin.
Changeover could well now stick to racing his own age group for much of the season, with the exception of the Auckland Cup in March.
But this week has shown that with the evenness of the elite pacers racing this season, horses like Waipawa Lad, Tribute and Classic Cullen are capable of winning our best races with the right trip.
Days of upsets
* Waipawa Lad shocks punters in the New Zealand Free-For-All.
* He set a national 2000m record in the $150,000 feature at Addington last night.
* Romper Stomper was an even bigger upset in the Trotting Free-For-All.
* He provided trainer Robbie Holmes with his first group one winner.
Beach-trained trotter romps to national record
Robbie Holmes knows Romper Stomper may not be the best trotter in New Zealand but he thinks he might be one of the bravest.
Holmes trained his first group one winner when Romper Stomper rocked punters in the $75,000 New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All at Addington yesterday.
The former Waikato trotter made the most of a perfect drive by Holmes, who saved every possible inch of ground to get him home over Houdini Star in a national record 3:14.2 for the mobile 2600m.
Romper Stomper has been plagued by problems much of the last two years and former trainer and co-owner John Dickie feared he may never get the best out of the veteran.
He sent him to Holmes for beach training and that worked the oracle.
"He had been working great on the beach and I never gave up on him," said Holmes.
"He has always been a good horse but has had his problems so he has been brave to still keep going.
"That is why I knew he wouldn't stop even with the hot pace."
Holmes has known Dickie even since he started working in horses at Cambridge over 20 years ago and describes him as a "great mate".
