Two-time AFL premiership coach Denis Pagan can add Victoria Derby winner to his resume after Johnny Get Angry saluted at Flemington on Saturday.
Pagan, 73, has only been training on a provisional license for six months, but he's managed to win one of Australia's most famous races.
Punters could get better than $20 on Johnny Get Angry pre-race, but Lachie King gave the gelding a peach of a ride to outlast some more-fancied runners.
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Check out the finish below.
JOHNNY GET ANGRY WINS THE AAMI VICTORIA DERBY!
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 31, 2020
Congratulations to Dennis Pagan and @LachieJamesKing on your first Group 1 wins. What a story! pic.twitter.com/0JHdlaZV4X
After the race, Pagan was "lost for words."
"It's amazing, this feeling. I didn't expect this and it's happened," he said, fighting back tears.
The man who guided North Melbourne to premierships in 1996 and 1999 was asked how training his own horse to a Derby win compared to winning an AFL flag.
"10 times better at the minute," he added.
Absolutely speechless. This is what it means to win the AAMI Victoria Derby.
— 10 Sport (@10SportAU) October 31, 2020
Denis Pagan has won premierships and dealt with some of the greatest footballers - but we never thought we'd see see him lost for words
What a moment. #DerbyDay #MelbCupCarnival pic.twitter.com/mrwk80z7fe
Johnny Get Angry held out Hit The Shot and pre-race favourite Young Werther, with another well-backed runner in Cherry Tortoni finishing fourth.
King trailed just behind Young Werther for virtually the whole race, getting a soft run off a slow pace.
It looked like being a shootout between the two down the straight but Johnny Angry proved too strong to win by a length.
As the sole owner of the horse, Johnny Get Angry's win netted Pagan around $1.2 million.
It's also a first Group 1 win for King, whose father Steven claimed 51 of them, including Melbourne Cup and VRC Derby wins in 1991