With his hometown supporters cheering him on, Almost Court needed to call on all reserves of his courage to eek out a narrow win in Sunday's $200,000 Listed Canberra Cup (200m).
Taking up his front-running role, Almost Court led at every call under Christian Reith but was running on empty 50 metres out.
After being momentarily held up between runners, Admiral Jello powered home in the closing stages to be a beaten a long-head with Get On The Grange a long -neck back in third.
Purchased in New Zealand by his previous trainer Brian Court before being switched to Barbara Joseph and Paul Jones, the son of Alamosa advances his record to 7 wins and 3 seconds from 15 starts with earnings of $237,720.
"We planned his programme meticulously, bringing him through the coastal cups then culminate here," Jones said.
"Brian Court purchased him through the Karaka sales. He said he wasn't a wet tracker, which we saw last start in Sydney.
"He (Court) outbid us at the auction but we got talking and Brian sent him over here. We syndicated the rest of the horse to some local owners and some good long-term clients.
"There is a crew of ten blokes that got their first horse so they think the game is that easy."
"We may look at the Albury Cup, Wagga Cup, the country cup scene but we will see what the handicapper does to us."
Purchased by Courtco Racing for $36,000 from the Curraghmore Stud draft at the 2014 NZB Select Yearling Sale, Almost Court (pictured as a yearling ) is the sixth foal of the crack racemare Cinder Bella who numbered the Group 1Capital Stakes and Group 1 WRC Captain Cook Stakes among her 12 wins.
The third dam of Cinder Bella is the Maribyrnong Plate winner Birthright, a sister to the great Baguette and Heirloom, and a half-sister to Cabochon and Betelgeuse and a daughter of the Tait family's wonder mare Dark Jewel.
Almost Court becomes the 12th stakes-winner for Wellfield Stud's Alamosa.
