Seven-year-old Hughie has delivered a stunning form reversal with a 10-length win Casterton.
After being beaten nearly 13 lengths at his last start, Hughie was always in control of Sunday’s Finns Fine Foods 0 – 56 Highweight Hcp (1200m).
Jockey Will Gordon candidly admitted that he was just “a passenger” as Hughie increased his lead through the race on the heavy 10 track.
Trainer Jamie Edwards was wary of the heavy ground for Hughie, particularly as he struggled in similar going at his previous start when fifth at Warrnambool.
“We thought we had picked out a good race for him at Casterton and were happy when it was a soft 6 in the morning, but the confidence waned a little when the track was significantly downgraded with the rain,” Jamie said.
“The drop in class from a BM62 to a 0-56 was a big plus for him but there was still plenty of merit in the win.
“He had 70kg on really heavy ground and still ran a handy 1m12.9 to win by a margin not often seen in 1200 metres races.”
“The plan this campaign was to target races on the synthetic tracks but the way he won today opens up more possibilities in the right class.”
Hughie has won three races since he joined Emsley Lodge last year.
He posted a six-length win at Hamilton a year ago and after scoring at Nhill on Boxing Day, backed up to finish second to dual city winner Perilous Fighter on a firm track in the Peter Blank Sprint (BM78) at Terang on January 2.
“He’s a fast horse who likes to lead and around Casterton that’s a good combination,” Jamie said.