THE last few years have been transformative ones for the Chris Frisby stable, with its first Group 1 success, and now a new horse has made its way into a top-level event after Uncle Jord took out the opening TAB Western Regional Championships Heat (2,260 metres) on Wednesday.
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Uncle Jord ($1.22 favourite, Anthony Frisby) received massive backing from punters in the lead up to the heat and the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding delivered for them.
He hit the lead midway through the opening lap and from there Uncle Jord wasn't going to be headed, holding off a late charge from Malcolm Hutchings' outsider Terryrama ($71, Brett Hutchings).
Frisby's super star Our Uncle Sam has delivered great memories for the Bathurst stable in recent times and while Anthony Frisby isn't sure Uncle Jord can bring home another Group 1 title for the family he's just thrilled to see the four-year-old reach the $100,000 final.
"We got things our own way this week. He went super last week but Make Mine Memphis is a great horse. No shame in getting beaten by a nice horse. We had the draw this week and we had the advantage of the good horses qualifying last week," he said.
"Hopefully we can keep him A-1 and if he gets a nice draw they'll know he's in it. You don't want to be in the burn in the early stages on final night. I'm sure he'll run a nice race."
Uncle Jord had to do a little bit of early work to cross Amanda Turnbull's speedy starter Young Rooster but continued to travel well in the lead.
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In the dash for home Uncle Jord metre by metre pulled further of Young Rooster to win in a way which justified his starting price.
Terryrama's surprise second placing was fast enough to see him qualify for the final as one of the two quickest runners-up from the heats, along with Bernie Hewitt's Bettor Jiggle.
Frisby said the workload wasn't too much for Uncle Jord to take and he was able to comfortably ride home to victory, even though the pace might have been a little high.
"We got across pretty well but Amanda's horse fired up a bit when we went around. I thought at that point it might not have been such a good idea but once he got there he travelled really nice," Frisby said of the early move to the front.
"He slipped along probably a bit quicker than what I was expecting but in the end he did it nicely.
"It's great to have a horse in a Group 1. It's a great buzz for the stable. Just making it is a great thing.
"There's a lot of nice horses in this area with a lot of speed. It's going to be a very good final."
The draw for the $100,000 TAB Regional Championships Final will take place on Friday.