The nine-year old was judged to have snuck home by a nose after the two hit the line together.

Judges deliberated over the photo for about two minutes before deciding Honour Ron had got there.

His trainer Max Boland initially thought he had too.

“I thought I won, just by a nose,” Boland said.

He “then started to doubt myself” though when it took so long to come up with a result.

Honour Ron’s win made for a winning return to Wallabadah for the Cessnock trainer.

“I’ve been here once about eight years ago,” he said.

He said jockey Nicholas Perrett rode him brilliantly.

“It was a great ride,” he said.

“We had a good yarn before about what we thought.

“We thought the grey horse would lead.”

That’s how things panned out with Tarzan Toby establishing an almost four length lead coming down the hill.

“The plan was to make our move going down the hill,” Boland said.

“He’s done that before the grey horse and hung on.”

He almost did again with Honour Ron only reaching him at the line.

“This fellas a pretty classy horse,” Boland said.

He’s won more than $140,000 over his career.

Boland has had him for about a year and a half.

“He came from Victoria,” he said.

“My mate brought him.”

He was owned by sister jockeys Jackie Beriman and Nikita McLean, and had raced at Flemington and Moonee Valley.

On Wednesday he was backing up from a second at Quirindi on Boxing Day.

Ironically he was only beaten by a short half head, by Wallabadah Cup runner-up Subic Bay.

“We had to ride him a little bit quieter,” Boland said.

“We knew there would be a lot of speed on. We didn’t want to get into a speed battle.”

Wallabadah and Quirindi were both a step up in distance on what he usually races, but he handled it pretty well.

“Nic said he kept trying, which is promising,” Boland said.

Apprentice Meg Hoey was onboard Tarzan Toby for Luke 

Griffith.

African Child (Daniel Northey) was third another three lengths back.