Supporters of Just Fine (IRE) headed to the bar after the son of Sea The Stars clung to a rapidly diminishing head victory in Saturday's $500,000 Group III The Lexus Bart Cummings (2520m) at Flemington, earning a Golden Ticket to the Melbourne Cup.
Ridden by Jordan Childs for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the 7-year-old carried his topweight to an all-the-way win by a head from the in-form Point King (IRE) (Zoffany), with the 11-year-old warhorse Amade (IRE) (Casamento) a short-half-head back in third.
On this day twelve months previously, Just Fine won the Group 1 Metropolitan at Randwick but has been winless in six starts since.
"Often they can peak, and then they can lose the plot," Gai Waterhouse said.
"You know, they're not machines, they're animals and he just trained off.
"Then we just kept tapping away, and when I saw him the other day and he raced at Caulfield, I wasn't happy with him so we just sort of gave him a little bit more work and just did a few different things.
"I just knew today that you really have to try hard to beat him. So has it just been a matter of building
"Getting his fitness level right there. And he's got lovely cruising speed.
"That's Jordan at his best. When Jordan gets going on a front-runner, he's very effective.
"They're (owners Myracehorse) going to have a lot of fun running in her in our biggest race. What a wonderful thing. It happens nowhere in the world, I can tell you, where people from all different walks of life can have a share in a horse for not much money and be able to come here on the first Tuesday in November and maybe win a multi-million dollar race."
Just Fine (IRE) advances his record to seven wins, two seconds and two thirds from 24 starts, with earnings of $1,050,209.
Purchased for 300,000gns by Mckeever Bloodstock / Waterhouse Bott Racing at the 2022 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, Just Fine (IRE) is a half-brother to Group II placed hurdler Perseus Way.
He is the best of four winners from five to race for Kingmambo mare Bint Almatar, a half-sister to multiple Group II winner and Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas runner-up Master Of The Seas and Group III UAE Oaks winner Falls Of Lora (Street Cry), dam of Godolphin's triple Group 1 winner and $8million earner Cascadian (New Approach).
