The track was an appalling bog for the last day of the carnival and sadly two runners were euthanased on the day including one runner from the Prestige Steeplechase (5600m) namely Bunkered. The feature chase saw Upper Cut outstay his rivals and highlight the conditioning expertise and faith that trainer Mark Oulaghan has in his jumpers. Upper Cut had not raced for 10 months when he resumed in June and in his first four runs back three came on the flat and one as a hurdler. The moment Oulaghan stepped him up to the bigger fences the outcome was a second here last week and then the win today. The 10yo gelding has had his share of bad luck and injury but both trainer and owners have clearly kept the faith. It was his fifth win in twenty-eight starts and notably four of them have come as a steeplechaser. He was ridden by the visiting Australian jumps jockey Paul Hamblin whose only feel of the horse prior was last week when second and that gave him confidence he was on the right horse. Upper Cut was always running second or third and then took the front about 1000m out when the favourite and leader The Big Opal slipped on the flat and his rider lost both irons. He never relinquished back the lead from that point onwards and had to repel a lone threat the final 200m in the form of runner up Mr Mor that ran a game race. The 12yo settled back then moved up deep across the top the last time before reaching fourth turning for home. He loomed into a menacing second at the 200m and tried to trade blows before Upper Cut won clearly on points to score by half a length in 7:12.06. Gargamel was third beaten six lengths and the 10yo after being second drifted then got his second wind coming up to the home turn the final time. High Forty was as strong the final 50m than at any other stage and just missed third by a whisker. Snowdroptwinkletoes sat last then scythed through the field across the top the last time before becoming one-paced in the testing bog. The rest were pulled up with two fences to run exhausted bar Bunkered, which was eased out of the race at the 1200m and euthanased when found to have fractured his off-hind stifle. The favourite The Big Opal fell at the last fence but was looking the winner until slipping badly on the flat at about the 1200m and his rider lost the use of both irons. Matthew Gillies did an amazing job to stay on and was second turning for home and still fourth at the 200m before the last fence fall. This was a very old field across the board and many are one-paced wet trackers so will be found out on better conditions bar perhaps The Big Opal. Whether any of these are Great Northern Steeplechase material is the key question as Upper Cut was going well in the 6400m event until falling in 2014. If any trainer can get him to the big show and three times over the hill at Ellerslie to throw winning punch combinations then Oulaghan is your man and Upper Cut the horse.