Singer has Just Got Home on song

JUST GOT Home will show everyone what a rare animal he is by winning the Great Northern Hurdles, says rider Cody Singer.

‘‘I said at Wellington (when he won the Wellington Hurdles) that this horse is special and I think he’ll prove it in two weeks,’’ Singer said after the seven-year-old came from a long way back to win the open hurdle at Ellerslie yesterday.

‘‘He’s on top for me. One of the best jumpers I’ve ridden. He jumped phenomenally and could have gone round again.

‘‘I didn’t get at him until after the last fence and he did it easily. He does it so naturally.’’

Singer had trainer Rudy Liefting’s pre-race instructions ringing in is ears when he settled third last in the running, all of a dozen lengths from pacemaker Thatz David.

‘‘Rudy told me not to knock him around. He wasn’t that happy in amongst them, then I got out and just sat, sat, sat.’’

When Singer slipped Just Got Home a little more rein across the top bend the response was immediate and at the finish his half length margin over Real Treasure flattered the second favourite.

Liefting, voice croaky after a week with the flu – not from shouting – said he was happy he now had the horse perfectly seasoned for the gruelling 4190 metres of the northern.

‘‘I left him a bit underdone for today so there was a bit of improvement in him,’’ said Liefting who also considered another flat race yesterday. ‘‘I backed off him a bit after Wellington and gave him a quiet run on the flat at Ruakaka. But I decided I wanted to make sure he was rock hard fit for the northern and a jumps race is better for that.’’

Liefting said he wouldn’t have been too disappointed if Just Got Home had not won yesterday – and realised the horse would now have to carry more weight on September 6.

But he believed the horse was well up to the task and the prestige of winning a northern would be worth as much as the $100,000 prizemoney.

Winning the northern would be a terrific achievement for both Liefting and Just Got Home, who did not have his first jumps race until May 17.

But Liefting said the horse had been schooled for years like many of his team and had always been a natural.

‘‘Horses like him and Danza Lad have all jumped for ages. I get them going early so if they don’t measure up on the flat, you’re well on your way to a jumping career.

‘‘He always had a very high head carriage, which you don’t want but he’s settling down now with a bit more mileage.’’

Real Treasure, who will get a good weight relief on Just Got Home in the northern, lost none of his admirers, rallying strongly after hitting the fence at the 600m.