Darwin trainer Garry Lefoe Jr knew I Am The Fox would come back after dropping back to last in the feature at Fannie Bay

DARWIN trainer Garry Lefoe Jr never panicked when I Am The Fox dropped back to last spot at the 400m mark in the feature $25,000 Carnival Tickets on Sale Now Handicap (1600m) at Fannie Bay yesterday.

Jason Lyon before piloting Garry Lefoe Jr’s I Am The Fox to a second consecutive victory at Fannie Bay. Picture: Caroline Camilleri

DARWIN trainer Garry Lefoe Jr never panicked when I Am The Fox dropped back to last spot at the 400m mark in the feature $25,000 Carnival Tickets on Sale Now Handicap (1600m) at Fannie Bay yesterday.

“I did (still have faith). I know he’s got a flat spot going down the hill here, and he had 61 ½kg on his back,” Lefoe Jr told the NT News.

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“He always seems to have a flat spot at that point, but he got over it.

“It was a really tough effort. I’m very happy with him.”

Like his half-length victory in the $40,000 Shenannigans St Patrick’s Day Cup (1600m) on March 13, it was yet another gutsy comeback win in the straight from the evergreen and versatile seven-year-old.

This one was just as good, if not better because I Am The Fox stunningly ended up prevailing by four lengths.

Race caller Craig Sant observed the experienced runner is a quality miler and – with star Victorian jockey Jason Lyon aboard – he is one of the Lefoe stable stars.

Lyon said before the race I Am The Fox was “right on track” for the Alice Springs Cup on May 2. It was Lyon’s fifth win on the horse from nine starts.

He also expertly steered him to victory in the St Patrick’s Day Cup.

That win and yesterday’s triumph were both in very wet conditions.

“He is competitive from 1100m to 2400m, and does well in the wet and dry,” Lyon said before the race.

Lefoe is on the same page as Lyon regarding I Am The Fox’s chances in the annual Red Centre classic.

“He’s my best hope for the Alice Springs Cup,” he said.

The Lefoe Jr and Lyon combination with I Am The Fox is a formidable one.

“We’re pretty close mates, me and Grassy (Lyon),” Lefoe said. “And we get along really well with the owners, who suggested bringing the horse up here to the Territory (from Victoria).”

So far the move has worked a treat, with two wins from two starts in Darwin.

Other winners yesterday were Husslin Humph (trainer David Bates, jockey Adam Nicholls), Paseeto (Gary Clarke, Jarrod Todd), Hajime Naoki (Phil Cole, Alice Lindsay) and Extolment (Emma Steel, Nicholls).