By Patrick Reincke
Swan Hill-based trainer Nathan Hobson claimed his second Outback Cup on Saturday after Kazoom came home with a wet sail to clench victory in a photo finish.
It was 2016 when Hobson snagged his first Outback Cup win with Alpha Auriga.
He was almost denied by the Con Kelly-trained End of Day with a literal nose separating first from second.
“It was a tightly compacted race from the start,” Hobson said.
“There wasn’t much between first and last – I was a bit worried we weren’t going to get there.”
Stacey Metcalfe was the jockey on board Kazoom for the Cup. She had already ridden a Hobson winner in Race 1 with Petard.
Astoundingly, she rode Cindy Brander’s Honor the Moment in the 2016 Outback Cup and finished second behind Hobson’s Alpha Auriga.
Six years on, she was ecstatic to get the win for him.
“That’s the one that we came for and it’s wonderful we got it,” Metcalfe said post-race.
“We began really well. I got myself into a very nice position behind the leaders early.”
“Everyone started coming up alongside me and I mean 7 or 8 wide.”
“I realized very quickly that there was no point to go out there.
“If I could just stay in that four-deep line, I knew I was following the right horses to take me into the race far enough.”
Taking the turn onto the home straight the race was anyone’s.
Kazoom was still a bit behind the leaders before going ka-boom.
“Once I straightened up I felt my horse really digging in deep,” Metcalfe explained.
“We got the split through nicely and found the line brilliantly. He’s just a great old horse.”
Fittingly, while it was Hobson’s second Outback Cup as mentioned previously, it was also Kazoom’s second Cup victory after winning in 2018 for Ron Campbell.
Hobson said it’s always a good time coming up for St Pats and is looking forward to returning in 2023.
