JOCKEY Aaron Kuru’s daring ride was enough to secure victory in the 2023 3YB FM Scotty Stewart Brierley Steeplechase (3450m) or last year’s runner-up Britannicus.

The win gave Warrnambool trainer Symon Wilde his third win in the event and his second in a row after Vanguard relegated his stablemate to second last year.

The former star New Zealand jockey Kuru’s bold move to take a run on the inside of Flying Agent at the Tozer Road corner was the difference between winning and losing the race according to Wilde.

Flying Agent had led until then but lost the lead after they had a bumping duel as Britannicus came up on his inside.

Wilde said Kuru’s ride was a brave and good one.

Wilde said Britannicus was unlucky last year when he ran out and mucked up on the corner when he looked the winner.

“There wasn’t a lot of room on the corner. I think that won him the race,” Wilde said.

Britannicus defeated Valac by a length and three-quarters with Flying Agent, who had put in a dashing display, tiring to finish third a length and a quarter away.

We set him for this race straight after. “He’s a deadset Brierly horse,” Wilde said.

Kuru said he felt privileged to have won a feature race at Warrnambool.

He said his tactic of cutting the corner after the Tozer Road double might have been “a bit too brave.”

“Lee (Horner, Flying Agent) was taking me off my line and that’s not where I wanted to be.I knew I had the horse to muster if I switched back but Lee’s horse come up at the second to out-jump me and luckily I was on a horse of his experience to get me out of that,” Kuru said.

“From them on home it was a matter of maintaining the gallop to the line and digging in for a good fight.

CAMPBELL Rawiller made a memorable debut over the jumps at Warrnambool when he took his record as a jumps jockey to two wins from three rides when he was successful on Teofilo Star in the George Taylor Memorial Hurdle (3200m).

Making the win even more special for him was that his father champion jockey Nash Rawiller and his grandfather former jumps jockey Keith Rawiller were both in attendance as well as his mother Sarah.

“My biggest supporters are my Mum and Dad and I’ve got the rest of the family here. Such big supporters and I’m so fortunate to have such good people behind me.

“I don’t think I’d be here if it wasn’t for them. So happy to get the job done here today,” Rawiller said.

Teofilo Star is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. The win continued Waterhouse’s tradition of winning races at the ‘Bool carnival over the jumps as this was the sixth year she had been successful.

The big guns of jumps racing Steve Pateman, Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace combined to win their first race of the carnival when exciting proposition Impulsar made a winning debut in the Choices Flooring Hurdle (3200m).

Both Maher and Pateman said the son of Frankel had a big future as a jumper.

Maher said he had trained Impulsar for owner John Camilleri who imported him from Ireland and inquired whether he could purchase him as a jumper as he had reached his mark on the flat.

“I had a host of people that were very eager to take up the opportunity and this has been his target to get him to The ‘Bool and target one of these maidens,” Maher said.

Maher said Impulsar had the potential to be a regular runner at Warrnambool for the next few years.

Pateman said Impulsar was a lovely horse who would be a fencer in years to come.

The first race went to the Bevan Laming trained son of Dundeel, Pure Deal who was ridden by Arron Lynch.

Richard Laming suggested that Pure Deal could back-up in the Novice Hurdle on Thursday at Warrnambool.

“It has been a long term plan to get him up over the fences and Warrnambool was one of my plans. You’ve got to start him somewhere for each preparation and that (Hanging Rock Cup) was a good starting point then to bring him here,” Laming said.

“He’s done a good job and couldn’t be happier with the way he’s gone here today. He’s a tough horse and he really loves jumping.”