New Zealand jumper Sea King capped off his career in the best possible way with a last-stride victory in the $350,000 Grand National Steeplechase in Ballarat on Sunday.
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Sea King ($4.40) ran down South Australian visitor Spying On You ($5.50) on the line, with another Kiwi Monarch Charms ($5.50) filling third.
Plumpton-based trainer Patrick Payne indicated that Sea King, now a 12-year-old, would be retired without another visit to the races.
Sea King has been commuting between NZ, where he is trained Kevin Myers – a long-time friend of the Payne family in Ballarat – and Australia since 2014.
This was his fourth start in the Grand National Steeple – running into two of the all-time greats of Australia jumping and three-time winners of the race in Bashboy and Wells each time,
Sea King finished third to Bashboy and Wells in the race in 2014, fourth to Bashboy in 2015 and fell last year.
He had again had to play bridesmaid in his two starts in Australia this finish – with seconds to Wells and Excellent Rhythm.
Wells was sent out favourite to win a record-breaking fourth Grand National Steeple, but the race took a dramatic twist when he lost his rider Richard Cully at the fifth jump.
"I just stood off too far and landed in the middle of it and unfortunately I couldn't stay on," Cully said.
Excellent Rhythm made a lot of running, getting away by as much as six lengths in the 4500m event before eventually being pulled up out of the race. Just five of the 12 starters finished.
Payne deflected the credit for Sea King's victory to Myers.
"I can't stick my chest out," Payne said.
"They sent him over fit and well and all I had to do was keep him breathing."
Payne said Sea King had become a stable favourite in the five years he had been coming to Australia.
He added he was a quirky individual. "He lays in and lays out and he's almost got barred in New Zealand a couple of times," Payne said.
"For a degree of difficulty he's an unbelievable ride but he (champion jockey Steve Pateman) makes it look relatively easy."
Pateman said he felt for connections of Wells in their chase for history.
"It was a really thrilling win and I'm sorry what happened with Wells," Pateman said.
"But that could have happened to any of us. That's the game."
New Zealland jockey Will Gordon, who fell from John Monash, was taken to hospital in Ballarat for x-rays on a suspected fractured collarbone.
Sea King completed a double for Pateman on the all-jumps six-race card.
He also scored on import Big Blue ($6.50) in the Hygain Winner's Choice Maiden Hurdle, 3200m.
