Black Jack has ended the seven-year domination of the Big Boat Challenge by fellow supermaxi Wild Oats XI, in the latest thrilling chapter of their developing rivalry.
The Queensland boat led on Tuesday at the start but Wild Oats XI hit the front briefly in fresh nor-easterly breezes on Sydney Harbour, before Black Jack regained the lead and kept it for the remainder of the race.
Black Jack finished in one hour seven minutes and 19 seconds.
Wild Oats XI, which had Danish royals Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary aboard, was 43 seconds back.
In what might be a good portent for Black Jack, she was the last boat - then called Alfa Romeo - to beat Wild Oats XI in the Big Boat Challenge, before going on to take line honours in the 2009 Sydney to Hobart race.
The two boats have raced each other more than 10 times in recent months, with each taking line honours at least five times.
Black Jack's owner Peter Harburg didn't read too much into Tuesday's win in the final major hit-out before the Sydney-Hobart starts on Boxing Day.
"That doesn't really prove anything except today we probably had the best fall of the dice," Harburg said.
"We know these guys (on Wild Oats XI) are going to come back stronger than ever next time we race and the next one is the big one."
The other two supermaxis in this year's Sydney to Hobart, LDV Comanche and InfoTrack, didn't race on Tuesday.
Harburg said the four big boats would effectively contest the world championship of ocean racing when they vied for the honour of getting to Hobart first.
He said his boat would be out of the water from Wednesday and go back in on Christmas Eve.
Wild Oats XI had issues with her code zero sail in the first part of Tuesday's race, with skipper Mark Richards admitting mistakes had been made.
"We had a few issues on board, but the Black Jack guys did a better job than us today and they got the result," Richards said.
"Today just wasn't our day as a team. We kept fighting back which is great and that's what it's all about.
"We had a few too many little things today, but that's life. The guys know what the problems were and we'll be be better tomorrow for it."
The 80-foot Beau Geste was third, with the 66-foot Wild Oats X the last of the four boats to cross the line.
Wild Oats X took out handicap honours.
