Blinkers help Detonator Jack explode to claim an overdue feature race win

Following several close calls this spring, Group 1 placegetter Detonator Jack was rewarded with success in The Gong.

Jason Collett and Detonator Jack race away with the $1m The Gong at Kembla. Picture: Getty Images

Detonator Jack has been promising to deliver on the big stage all spring before finally putting an end to a string of near misses in an instant with an explosive performance at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained galloper was a cut above as he produced a career-best performance to prevail with ease in the $1 million The Gong (1600m).

Detonator Jack, who placed in a Group 1 SA Derby as a three-year-old, had finished in the money in feature races for the majority of his spring preparation.

The smart son of Jakkalberry was a narrow runner up in the Five Diamonds Prelude two starts ago and a close third in the Five Diamonds in the lead up to The Gong.

His big race breakthrough was nothing short of emphatic.

Detonator Jack EXPLODES in The Gong! 💥

The @cmaherracing galloper blows them away. pic.twitter.com/4dnbzsqApa

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 25, 2023

“He has always threatened to win a big one this horse,” Maher said.

“He has gone very close his past couple and has had a fantastic prep.”

Maher and Eustace reached into the gear bag and applied the blinkers in a bid to get the best out of Detonator Jack in the big one.

It proved a winning move as Detonator Jack thrived in the heavy conditions to salute.

“The blinkers, he just hit that little flat spot last start and when we were coming up in trip we thought it might be the ideal time to put them on,” Maher said.

“You could see in the run.

“He just travelled sweetly for Jase (Collett), it was a beautiful ride. We didn’t have to tell him much. He knew the horse well and got the job done. It was an easy watch.”

Jason Collett had Detonator Jack travelling three-deep with a cover in the second half of the field.

Ciaron Maher and Jason Collett celebrate the win. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Detonator Jack ($4.60) coasted up to the leaders as they rounded the turn and had hit the front by the 300m mark.

He extended his margin the longer he went down the Kembla straight, putting a 2¼-length margin on the Kris Lees-trained Loch Eagle ($5.50) with Chris Waller’s Osipenko ($4 fav) in third.

“He was on to it today,” Collett said.

“The blinkers definitely helped. When I needed him to be there, he was there and add in soft ground too.

“It’s a long straight. I went early and I thought I am here a long way out but he is a powerful horse and he had enough in the tank.

“It obviously looked really good and felt good out there but he appreciated a few slowly run races and has got used to the Sydney way of going.”

.@cmaherracing was impressed with @mcacajamez's ride on Unanimous! pic.twitter.com/TnOenqwtjc

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 25, 2023

The win saw Detonator Jack’s earnings sail well over the $1 million mark and boosted his impressive record of six wins and seven placings from 15 starts.

“I think he’s fully furnished as a racehorse,” Maher said.

“He is very sound and he will probably race on. His last three races have all been big money races and I can see him doing this for a couple of years.”

Maher was planning another feature raid in Victoria next start for Detonator Jack immediately after the race but didn’t completely rule out running in The Ingham at Royal Randwick next month.

“I think he will go on to the Ballarat Cup now,” he said.

“A lot of them (the owners) are locals so hopefully he can carry the form but it was a good effort today.”

The win completed a winning double for Maher and Eustace after Unanimous scored in the opening event on the card.

Loch Eagle ran an enormous race in defeat after being cast no closer than three deep in the run from a wide draw.

Osipenko was also forced into the three-wide line as James McDonald launched his challenge but the entire did not let down as explosive as expected on the heavy going.

“Obviously you come to any race as the favourite and you are hopeful you can go out and win but he got a long way back on a track that he is not favoured,” Waller’s assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said.

“I thought he ran well without blowing the doors off so it was a pass mark today without blowing the doors off.”

Originally published as Blinkers help Detonator Jack explode to claim an overdue feature race win