Veteran trainer Barbara Joseph finally claimed the home-town race that had always eluded her this afternoon with Fill The Page hanging on to secure the $200,000 Canberra Cup.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The gutsy four-year-old had led the entire trip before Bede Murray's World Wide joined in at the 200m, but the vocal home crowd roared and Fill The Page responded to stave off the bold challenge.
The bookies were also rejoicing with the $26 chance finishing well clear of heavily backed Sydney runners Tullamore, Praecido and Peter Moody runner King Diamond.
Joseph said the victory was close to her greatest training achievement – running fifth in the 2003 Caulfield Cup with Ain't Seen Nothin' who went on to contest the Melbourne Cup.
“To win here in front of your home crowd in the club with the rest of the trainers who all support each other, it's great,” an elated Joseph said.
“I came here with eight horses and now I've got 35 in work all the time.
“I've been trying to win it for years I've run a couple of placings - Dorsel ran third and Vintage Rock ran two thirds in a row.
“She [Vintage Rock] was an up-and-coming mare that day and she got no luck, she was wide the whole day and probably should've won.
“I've got the Black Opal to go, I've had about three seconds. I've won about three or four Guineas's and I've won the sprint.”
Joseph struck up a racing partnership with her son Paul Jones in 2010, and the Canberra Cup win is their biggest since joining forces.
Jones said he'd always been confident of running well in the Canberra Cup.
“This has been the goal, I told the owners that last start [seventh] was the run she had to have,” Jones said.
“I said she's not a $26 chance she's a $10 chance, that's where I rated her in this field.
“We took the winkers off her, she saw the horses around her and she saw the horse come up inside her and she fought back and really dug deep I'm so proud of her.
“We are kicking some goals.”
Fill The Page finished a half-head clear of World Wide with Coliseo half a length back in third.
Fourth-placed Budai, five lengths away, was the best of the visitors.
World Wide had every chance to win after joining Fill The Page in the last furlong, but jockey Tommy Berry was always confident of staying in front.
"Pete [Robl] got to me at the 200 and didn't pass me there so he was never going to pass me,” Berry said.
“We wanted to try and take a sit with her today that's why we took the winkers off because you're running 2000 you want her to relax and get the trip.
“She didn't agree with that, she wanted to lead so I went along with it. She's one of the toughest horses I've ridden, even though she still goes keen at the start of her races she finishes off quite strong.
“She got an easy time in the middle stages, that's what probably won her the race.
“She's a horse on the way up, she's probably only starting to mature even though she's getting older, she's a four-year-old.
“Today is only the start of her.”
