3 minute read

Hall of Fame trainer Gary White snared a double in Launceston with Jackjack and Zulu Angel, and no win was more pleasing than that off Jackjack.

Jackjack ($4.20 fav) has been trying to win a race for almost four seasons and on Friday night all the planets aligned for a last-stride win in a maiden-class one over 1600m.

The gelding settled further forward than normal and when rider Ismail Toker called on the six-year-old to make his run he sprinted quickly and gradually chased down the leader Three's A Crowd.

"This horse has been working up to a win and based on his trackwork this week I was very confident he would be able to shrug off his maiden tag," White said.

With Bulent Muhcu in the saddle, Zulu Angel ($3.40 fav) made it two wins in succession when he ran down race leader Sally Sunshine ($3.60) in the closing stages to score by a half-length from that mare with Belmista ($4.20) a short half-head away third.

Zulu Angel, that was touted as a possible Derby prospect at the start of his preparation, was coming off a 1200-metre maiden win in Hobart three weeks earlier in which he flashed home to defeat Muscle Up that franked the form by winning an earlier race in Launceston on Friday night.

"Bulent (Muhcu) had a plan of where he wanted to have the horse placed in the race and he carried the plan out to the letter," White said.

"He has taken time to put it all together because he is a big, playful horse that just needed race experience to come good.

"We'll continue to take small steps with him and look for a nice race during the carnival."

White went close to making it a training treble when his very good four-year-old Chinchero ($2.10 fav) finished second to Gee Gee Can Win in the Ray Trinder Memorial BM68 over 1400m.