Having taken out last year’s showcase feature as well, Tahsin started the 1600m Cup at surprisingly healthy $11 odds and went on to prove last year’s stunning victory was no fluke with a storming final furlong to secure back-to-back cup triumphs.

“I think the heart’s still going,” a beaming co-owner Rod Lane said post race.

“Back-to-back, that’s hard to do … has it been done before?”

It has, the last time being 2011 and 2012 when the Tracey Bartley trained San Ziam claimed consecutive Mudgee Cups.

On Friday, though, Tahsin’s win was special.

With Irish hoop Robbie Dolan on board, the New Zealand gelding had to call on the luck of the Irish to dart from barrier one to a wider run.

They battled for the bulk of the race, but Dolan and Tahsin found the space they’d be craving late on the home turn.

And once in the clear the pair turned on the after burners to soar past early leaders Appoint Percy ($5) and one of Bjorn Baker’s best, Missybeel ($9) to hit the line late with a sensational run.

“It was a really great ride by Robbie,” Lane added, the track a Good 3 for cup day.

“With Tahsin he needs a really wide open run and we drew barrier one and thought he’s going to have to really get a break around the turn, but he got out at the right time and just kept running.

“And this guy loves this track, he loves a rock-hard track and he did it again, two years in a row.

“I didn’t come last year, but we made a weekend of it this year and it’s been great.”

It’s Tahsin’s first win this preparation and a stunning turn around in a class field after a disappointing 11^th in a field of 11 last-start at Rosehill.

Tahsin’s win in Mudgee last year proved to be a platform for a strong new year for the brown gelding, going on to win in town in January of 2018.

Lane is hopeful Friday’s win will again produce a win at Rosehill in the coming weeks.

“He had a sub-standard-start last start at Rosehill but we thought get him back here on a hard track with a great ride by Robbie and well done to him,” he added.

Early favourite $4.20 favourite Impavido battled to eventually run 10^th for Bjorn Baker while the best of the region’s hopes finished fifth, with Brett Thompson’s Know How ($18) just outside the places.

Gayna Williams’ Dapperized was sixth, with the race run in front of a record crowd of over 4000 people on a bumper Mudgee Cup day.

The also honoured the life of long-time Mudgee trainer Max Crockett, with jockeys wearing black armbands throughout the course of the meeting to pay their respects to a legend of the industry.