Jockey Glen Boss has described Ocean Park's win in the Cox Plate on Saturday as the high point of his career.
Boss, who has won three Melbourne Cups plus two Cox Plates and is one of the most decorated jockeys in Australia, said the win on the New Zealand four-year-old rates above those achievements because he has followed Ocean Park right the way through.
Boss said he picked out Ocean Park as a future superstar of the turf when he rode him in the Rosehill Guineas.
"It feels like my greatest achievement in this sport so far. I know I've done some wonderful things, but I've been in this colt's court the whole time," he said.
"There's been doubters but all I kept saying was that he is a winner. Everyone kept ignoring the obvious. He just wants to win. He just wants to beat whatever is in front of him.
"I pencilled this horse in after the Rosehill Guineas, I said this is a star and I kept telling everyone 'when this horse comes back his next preparation, you just watch, he's a serious racehorse'.
"When you are in the corner the whole time and you keep telling everyone and you say 'this is the horse' and everyone wants to pick them to pieces and find reasons to get them beat.
"He should have won his past six races, all at Group One level. He's an amazing animal, he just wants to win and what a great colt."
Boss paid tribute to runner-up All Too Hard, the younger half brother of unbeaten champion Black Caviar, for the courage that horse showed in taking it up to Ocean Park down the straight.
There was a margin of three and half lengths between the first two horses home and the rest of the field.
"Full credit to Johnny Hawkes' colt, he gave me a really good race today and he was a great horse on the day," Boss said.
Ocean Park's effort was even more meritorious when you consider he finished the race with just one plate on his hind legs.
The victory also marked a high-water mark in the career of Cambridge based trainer Gary Hennessy, who will take the Cox Plate back to New Zealand.
"Glen's been signing this horse's praises and if you haven't been listening well too bad," Hennessy said.
"You set a plan way back in last autumn and a thing hasn't gone wrong."
Hennessy found Ocean Park as a $150,000 yearling purchase and after selling some of the horse to Hong Kong interests, has now developed him into the best middle distance horse in the land.
"We've got ourselves a really lovely horse and today he has proved he is the best weight-for-age in Australasia," he said.
So well has the horse travelled through this campaign that Hennessy is seriously tempted to take the son of Thorn Park through to the Mackinnon Stakes next week.
"He's done so well in between starts and he really thrives. Nothing has phased him and that's why we were so confident coming into this race," he said.
Ocean Park has been installed as $15 second favourite to win the 2013 Cox Plate behind the horse he beat on Saturday All Too Hard, who is $13.