THE wait for another home city winner in the Bathurst RSL Club Soldier’s Saddle (1,400 metres) looked to have ended yesterday until Showmaster dropped by to spoil the party.
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In a thrilling duel to the line, Showmaster ($8) won by a neck ahead of Peter Stanley’s City Boots ($11) to condemn the Bathurst trainer to a second straight runner-up finish in the $25,000 feature race.
The win for Hawkesbury trainer Garry Frazer came on the back of a patient ride from Blaike McDougall, who had spent the majority of the race sitting directly behind City Boots.
Stanley’s Hair Of The Dog ($7) was another two-and-a-half lengths away in third, beating home Paul Theobald’s Bathurstian ($51) to make it a Bathurst 2-3-4 finish.
Winning jockey McDougall said the race couldn’t have played out any better for his five-year-old gelding.
“The instructions were to sit three or four off the leader. I felt like he was travelling like the winner throughout the race,” he said.
“Coming into the turn I thought that I might have gone a little bit early, but luckily I had the better horse on the day to get back up and hit the line strong like he did.
“I rode him two starts ago. He was first up and I was third on him there. Kody Nestor won on him a fortnight ago at Goulburn and warmed the saddle up for me today.
“He’s a beautiful, genuine and quiet gelding. He’s got a really cool nature and he loves his racing.”
McDougall was pleased to earn the win for Frazer.
“I’m pretty sure Mr Frazer, being the trainer that he is and a man full of knowledge, I’m sure he’ll have something set up for him,” he said.
“He’s probably given me 50 rides since I’ve been back and this is actually only the first win I’ve had for him since I’ve been back.”
City Boots and stablemate Hair Of The Dog were the two best runners away when the gates flew open.
Hair Of The Dog then slid back into fourth, outside of Showmaster, as Bathurstian came up to sit outside leader City Boots.
Rounding the turn for home, the two runners in front had given themselves a two-length break back to Showmaster, who was poised to pounce along the rail.
Well-backed hopes Something Borrowed ($2.50 favourite) and Iron Blue swung to the outside on the home straight, while Bay Truffle ($9) looked for a way through the middle of the field from last position.
They still had plenty of ground to make up with 200m to go and their winning chances were dashed as City Boots started to pull away.
Bathurstian and Hair Of The Dog couldn’t match that pace, but Showmaster was up to the task, eating away at the advantage inside the last 100m to snatch the win.
It was the first win in the Anzac Day race for both Frazer and McDougall.