Dylan Gibbons has claimed his first Group 1 victory when piloting Explosive Jack to victory in the Group 1 Sydney Cup.
The win was the first for Explosive Jack since his win in the Group 1 South Australian Derby as a three-year-old back on May 8, 2021.
With last year’s Sydney Cup winner Knights Order looking to lead throughout, the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained stayer set up a slow tempo over the 3200m event, which seemingly set the race up for those on pace to make their mark.
On the home turn it was the $151 shot True Marvel who loomed as the winner as he went stride for stride with Knights Order and Arapaho, but storming down the heart of the track was Explosive Jack who ended up running away from his rivals in a dominant performance.
The win handed Ciaron Maher & David Eustace their second win in the race after trainer Etah James to victory in the race back in 2020.
2023 Sydney Cup Replay – Explosive Jack
The Sydney Cup had clearly been a long-term goal for Explosive Jack and David Eustace confirmed that post-race.
“That was absolutely fantastic. It’s been the plan for a long, long time,” said Eustace.
“He had a injury after the Melbourne Cup, we said months ago this is the race to have him spot on.
“Midrace I was kicking and screaming because they were going so slow and it just wasn’t going to help any of our runners.
“Without having to dissect it, it was a pretty good performance to come from where he was.”
Winning jockey Dylan Gibbons was beaming with pride having reached the peak of racing in claim a Group 1 victory.
“I had to learn the hard way, I went down in a narrow defeat last time (Montefilia second in the Group 1 Tancred). It couldn’t have worked out better today, he just gave me a beautiful ride,” said Gibbons.
Following in the footsteps of his father Andrew Gibbons, Dylan has now done something is father is yet do in claiming Group 1 success.
“I can’t imagine how he feels. It just makes me so happy how proud he is,” Dylan Gibbons said when asked how his jockey father Andrew would react.
“It’s not just for me, it’s for everyone who has helped me get to here. I hope we can all celebrate together.”
Following the win, Explosive Jack is now a $15 chance for the 2023 Melbourne Cup with online bookmakers.