There were emotional scenes following Thursday’s $200,000 Iron Jack 2022 Wagga Town Plate after the injury-plagued Front Page put his opponents to the sword.
The son of Magnus looked to have last October’s $1.2million The Kosciuszko at his mercy but suffered a tendon injury to his near-hind leg days before the race.
Twelve months earlier, he was scratched by vets on raceday when injuring himself in the float on the morning of the race.
So trainer Geoff Duryea was entitled to be emotional when Tyler Schiller guided the favourite to a four and a half-length triumph at his first start since September last year.
The first to jump, Front Page took a trail behind Calescent. Under a stranglehold entering the home straight, Front Page put the race to bed in a matter of strides.
The Mitch Beer-trained Mnementh claimed second two and a half lengths to the good of the Gary Colvin-trained Another One (Super One).
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“The owners spent a lot of money and a lot of time, and today he rewarded them for their patience,” Duryea told Sky Racing.
“Today, he proved he is almost back to his best.
“It’s been a long, drawn-out saga to get him where we are.
“He has had so many little setbacks; it’s been hard to believe.”
Front Page is a brother to the stakes-placed filly News Girl, who was purchased by Two Bays Farm for $375,000 at the 2021 Inglis September (Early) Online Sale. She was covered by Deep Field in her first season.
Front Page is out of Stacey Lee, a talented daughter of Bel Esprit.
Geoff Duryea purchased Stacey Lee for $20,000 out of the Baerami Thoroughbreds draft at the 2009 Inglis Australian Select Weanling Sale.
She won 5 of her 20 starts while banking $73,257 and is a daughter of the Varick mare Curio Jade who placed in the Group 1 Queensland Classic and Listed Doomben Slipper.
Stacy Lee has a yearling filly by Rubick and was covered by Widden Stud’s Magnus again last spring, having not been covered in 2020.
