Karlsruhe holds off Mister Zion to win The Enduro with Chris Alford in the cart
Karlsruhe recorded an emotional win in Friday night's $20,000 The SEW-Eurodrive Enduro at Melton's Tabcorp Park and it wasn't just because he defied history in doing so.
The classy gelding brought some smiles to a David Aiken camp in desperate need of good news following a devastating week in which stable reinsman David Moran was struck down by a rare nerve disease.
Victoria's leading concession driver has developed a sensational rapport with Karlsruhe over the past three months, but was in the Northern Hospital when the gelding overcame a 30-metre handicap with Chris Alford in the cart.
Avenel-based Aiken said it was a happy ending to what had been a trying week.
"David was at work as normal on Tuesday morning, I went to the Kilmore trials at 11.30 and I got home and one of the staff said to me, 'David's down in Melbourne in hospital'," he recalled.
"I asked if he had an (trackwork) accident or something and they said, 'no, he just can't walk'.
"He had a virus and that's attacked his nervous system and he's virtually lost feeling in both legs and one arm. There's a name for it, I just can't remember it, and he's in hospital and he looks like being out for a little while.
"The poor kid, it's virtually his first full year of driving, he's leading Concession Driver's Premiership, he's about 11 in front, so hopefully he can hang on and win it, but his health comes first and the main thing is he gets right.
"It's a pity he wasn't driving him (Karlsruhe) last night, but he rang up after the race and he was rapt because he's a stable favourite who's been around here for a while and gives us a lot of thrills on the track."
Few of Karlsruhe's 20 wins have been as meritorious as his latest, when he became the first horse to win the 2760m The Enduro, which was first run in 1997, from further back then 20m.
The seven-year-old began safely alongside co-backmarker Mister Zion and after catching the field after 600m the star pair came with three-wide runs down the back the second time to put themselves into the race.
It was Karlsruhe ($4.90) who finished up outside leader Wideford Hill ($7), where Alford was content to sit until the 300m when he issued a challenge that saw him claim the lead by the time the field swung for home.
He had four metres on Mister Zion at the 100m and withstood a late surge from the game $2.40 favourite to score by a short-half-head. Flyin Interstate ($4.20) was less than a metre away in third spot.
The 2:01.4 mile rate was just 0.4secs outside Karlsruhe's own track record and comprised splits of 29.6, 31.2, 29.6 and 28.7 seconds.
"It was actually good to see the backmarkers fight it out," Aiken said. "They were the best two horses and to see them there there fighting it out was good to see.
"He's just a great old horse and while he's not up to the very best ones, he's been really good, especially this year.
"He's rising eight (years old) now, so we'll just try and keep him healthy and have a bit more fun with him."