It what was race four of the Bathurst Harness Racing Club's Gold Crown Grand Final night, the McCarthy-trained gelding went in as the overwhelming front-runner, backed at $1.04.

But those odds didn't faze local driver Nathan Turnbull.

His Kiwi horse On Deadline was backed in at $15 odds - the second best price for a runner pre-race - but he took to the front earlier in the race.

Towards the final stretches of the race, it became a battle of just On Deadline and Cantfindabetterman, as they pulled away from the rest of the pack.

In the end it was Turnbull's horse that got the job down, holding on to win by half a head, to secure a major upset.

Turnbull described the run by his four-year-old as "massive".

"He was probably a little bit underdone and I really brought him on for tonight's run," he said.

"Kudos to the horse I beat, he had to sit on the outside the entire way. I was tinkle pink to get him home."

Since coming across the ditch in 2022, On Deadline has been in super form, picking up 14 wins from 23 starts.

Of all his career wins, 11 have come at Bathurst, while the other three have been achieved Albion Park, Menangle and Penrith.

He also had a win at Alexandra Park in Auckland, in his second career start.