Ballarat hosted a fairytale moment on Sunday when Tom Ryan partnered Enchanted Elle to glory in the feature $100,000 J J Houlahan Hurdle.

Will Gordon, who had steered the mare to her last two wins, switched to favourite Farag in the 3250m event, leaving Ryan to step in and deliver a flawless front-running ride.

For Ryan, it was a debut booking on the Jakkalberry mare — one he relished.

“She’s so tough and she’s so rapid at her hurdles,” he said.

“She’s a proper hurdler; she’s so quick, she spends no time in the air, she gets about a centimetre over the top of them and there’s no waiting around with her. She’s a joy to ride.”

The eight-year-old mare set a bold tempo, maintained control of the race, and dug deep late to cling on by half-a-length at $6.50, ahead of Sing For Peace ($3.70) and Right Now ($5.50).

Favoured runner Farag ($2.40) failed to fire and was pulled up before the straight.

Enchanted Elle’s victory was made sweeter by the earlier win of her older brother Hit The Road Jack in the $50,000 Gotta Take Care Hurdle (3600m), just 40 minutes earlier.

The siblings also shared success at Coleraine only a week earlier.

Trainer Symon Wilde said the mare’s results this campaign have exceeded expectations.

“She’s had a wonderful season, she’s won four from six, she was second in another one and the race she didn’t perform in, I backed her up when I shouldn’t, so it was my mistake,” Wilde said.

“So, her record should be really almost perfect. She’s a dashing little thing, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she can do next year. She might end up in a Galleywood Hurdle, possibly.”