The Gallant Guru gelding, trained by Brian and Shane Anderton, produced a gritty staying effort to complete his rapid rise to the top of the country’s hurdling ranks with victory in the 4200m feature.
At one point he was about 20 lengths off the leaders but not even that was enough to stop the 8yr-old adding the Great Northern title to his Grand National Hurdles win of last month.
Success means the Andertons and the horse’s owners, the Frosty’s Shoutin The Beers syndicate, can start planning an Australian campaign for their classy jumper.
But first, Jackfrost will have a well-deserved spell.
"He will go to the paddock now and have a good spell. He is coming home [this] morning," Brian Anderton said.
"We will look at taking him to Australia next season. If he goes there he will probably have to go over the bigger fences.
"We will have to sit down at some stage and plan how we are going to go about it."
The Andertons sent their star flat horse, Patrick Erin, to champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller to do his Australian racing.
But it is unlikely Jackfrost will transfer out of the Andertons’ care if he crosses the Tasman.
"The syndicate boys are pretty adamant that they want us to take him over there so it looks like Shane will be getting a trip to Australia."
Anderton stable employee Courtney Barnes cared for Jackfrost while he was in the North Island to prepare for yesterday’s race.
Brian Anderton praised Barnes for her work and said it was appropriate the horse was in her care.
Jackfrost’s third dam is a full sister to Baghdad Note, who won the Melbourne Cup in 1970 when ridden by Barnes’s great-uncle, Midge Didham.
The Frosty’s Shoutin The Beers syndicate features several prominent harness-racing trainers, including manager John Howe and fellow Canterbury horsemen Jonny Cox and Michael House.
House heaped praise on the Andertons in a television interview after Jackfrost’s win.
"It was a wonderful training effort by Brian and Shane and we are indebted to their tremendous ability," he said.
"Brian Anderton said a couple of years ago this horse would make a great jumper even though he wasn’t training him at the time.
"He’s ended up in his stable because of that vision."
Jackfrost was aided in his win by a patient ride by Buddy Lammas.
Lammas sat the gelding off a hot speed before winding his charge into the race from the 1200m.
Jackfrost still had plenty of work ahead of him at the top of the straight to chase down eventual runner-up Second Innings and third placegetter Laekeeper.
But his superior stamina and brilliant jumping enabled him to win by nearly two lengths.
The victory gave Lammas a Grand National-Great Northern double of his own.
He won the Grand National Steeplechase on Shamal at Riccarton last month.
