This time, Luke Price did not move.
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The Kembla Grange throng erupted as home-town hero Count De Rupee broke clear in the Illawarra's richest race, but Price remained planted against the mounting yard stall.
Only after the star gelding crossed the line and father and co-trainer Robert raced over for a celebratory hug, wearing their contrasting cream and navy suit jackets, did Price release the emotion.
A couple of weeks back, Price had cursed himself for raising a cheer at the 150m mark, when Count De Rupee set sail for victory in the now $8 million Golden Eagle, only to be run down on the line by I'm Thunderstruck.
This time, Price wanted to make sure.
With a capped crowd due to COVID restrictions, those in attendance were whipped into a pre-race frenzy as UFC world champion Alex Volkanovski - his combat gym just kilometres away at Windang - stood to ceremonially bang the gong.
"Volk! Volk! Volk!" they boomed.
Later he would be mobbed by the same punters in the grandstand and pose for selfies.
For once though, Volkanovski was on the under-card.
The Prices were the headline act and stood prominently on the Kembla Grange lawn, like local trainers of the $1m The Gong favourite should.
Robert dropped a hand from his face in the early stages, as if barely believing jockey Brock Ryan had safely tucked himself into sixth place, on the back of the speed and one off the rail from the third-widest gate.
Eyeing off those inside, Ryan had considered retreating and settling quietly to save for the last shot at them, then realised an opportunity had presented and bustled the horse along to take it.
He's copped a 10-day suspension for his trouble for cutting in on well-backed rival Atishu, but it was a race-winning move.
Any fear of being trapped deep on a slow track, the first time Count De Rupee was being tested over 1600m, was erased.
As they came off the turn, Ryan was on a near-identical path to the Golden Eagle run.
However, this time, last year's champion Archedemus was providing more of a target to catch, where as he had been flushed out too easily at Rosehill, not by design.
Inside the 200m and Ryan hit the button which had tempted him the entire straight. Archedemus faded, all the work he'd done to lead took a toll.
Ryan was off and gone, though Chris Waller's Nudge and staunch roughies Matthew Dunn's Yamazaki and the big grey Berdibek fought on gamely more than a length away.
Still Price waited.
The dreams of an Everest or a Doncaster or Epsom seem more achievable than ever and will make for bigger pay days, just as they collected more for running second in the Eagle than they did for winning on Saturday.
But as Brock Ryan passed the post, the months of planning this preparation had paid off in style.
Price's moment had arrived.
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