Gary Hall jnr, left, with his father after Im Themightyquinn's victory in the Inter Dominion Final at Menangle.
HARNESS RACING
The remarkable Im Themightyquinn became a three-time Inter Dominion champion leaving no doubt he belongs in the top echelon of harness horses in history with a last-to-first win in the grand final at Menangle yesterday.
"That will silence all the knockers that he can't win over here," tearful West Australian trainer Gary Hall snr said.
"He just ran past the best horses around at the moment and none of them have any excuses.
"He's the best horse in Australasia."
It took Im Themightyquinn's record in Inter Dominion heats and final to nine runs without defeat in most thrilling manner.
The second elect in betting was more than 20 metres off favourite Terror To Love, which had sat outside leader Mah Sish, in a race run at a moderate tempo. Driver Gary Hall jnr trusted the West Australian star's enormous sprint.
"I knew we had him right and I wasn't worried at 800 metres, even though he was last," Hall snr continued.
"I could see he was comfortable and I started cheering then because I knew he was going to win."
Hall jnr admitted he wasn't as confident as his father but as happy with the way Im Themightyquinn travelled in the run.
"It was a funny sort of race because we went back and when the others started to go around early on Quinny thought it was time to go," Hall jnr said.
"He was feeling that well that he gave Greg Sugars [on Jaccka Clive], who was in front of me, a couple of decent whacks in the back of the head.
"It is the first time we have driven him like that over here. It was just ice cold and let him do his thing."
With a lead time of 1.44.9 for the first 1400 metres, then the first of the last mile in 60.9 seconds, it appeared an impossible task to come from last.
The leader to leader closing sections were 28.3 seconds and 26.7 seconds but Im Themightyquinn would have broken 26 seconds for his final 400 metres.
"He just took me into the race but when we got to the top of the straight, they still looked a long way away from me," Hall jnr said.
"He certainly picked them up very quickly and won easily in the end."
Im Themightyquinn scored by four metres from Mah Sish with Excel Stride a half-neck away in third.
Earlier, New Zealand's Christen Me ran an Australasian four-year-old record for the mile (1.50.5) to win the Chariots Of Fire.
Reinsman Luke McCarthy had a Group 1 double, winning the NSW Oaks behind Itz Nosurprisesthere and Ladyship Mile with Our Sixpense.
Lennytheshark caused surprise in the NSW Derby, while Keystone Del won the Glenferrie Farm Challenge for the trotters.