HE'S a dude with a Group 1 attitude and while Blue Tattoo is not at that sort of level yet for the Freedman brothers, he can now call himself a winner.
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The three-year-old son of super sire Snitzel took out the Club Lithgow Maiden Handicap (1,100 metres) at Bathurst's Tyers Park on Saturday, the victory the first of his four-start career under the guidance of Rosehill trainers Richard and Michael Freedman.
The key to his win was jockey Billy Cray finding him a rails run down the home straight, Blue Tattoo ($3.40) making up good ground to beat out the Dean Mirfin, Bathurst trained $2.80 favourite Mont Genep by a length.
"We had a plan that we were going to ride for luck regardless and hopefully the leader would drift off coming around the bend, a lot of them don't handle it but he's not a big horse so he handled it well," Will Freedman, son of trainer Richard, said.
"It was good that the plan came off. Dean Mirfin said the same thing, it's a bit of a speed lane there on the rail if you can handle it and fortunately for us it came off."
Blue Tattoo had two prior runs at Bathurst, the most recent of which was a third on June 17, which saw him start Saturday as the second-elect behind Mont Genep.
He began well enough from barrier two, but Anthony Cavallo was quick to move the favourite into the lead so Cray settled Blue Tattoo in fourth.
With 550m to run Blue Tattoo was almost three lengths off the pace, but as Cray found the rails he made up that ground. Freedman feels there is more improvement to come.
"He's probably only at 80 percent, so hopefully he can go on and do a little bit more," Freedman said.
"He's got a lot of heart, he thinks he has a Group 1 attitude but the ability has got to start catching up. He's bit of a dude and only got gelded three or four weeks ago, which has helped keep his mind on the job a little bit.
"I think this is his grade at at the moment and I think until he indicates he can go into better company, we'll stick around this sort of level."
While missing out in that race, Mirfin later combined with jockey Jake Pracey-Holmes for a winning double on his home track.
Saint Ay ($1.65 favourite) posted the first win of his five-start career when taking out the Class 1 Maiden Plate (2,000m). He jumped well from barrier six to take the lead and from there dictated terms.
He led by some five lengths at the 600 mark and kicked again down the home straight to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Club Town ($10).
Mirfin's second win came with Skipper Joe ($2.60 favourite) in the Benchmark 58 Handicap (1,200m) with Pracey-Holmes once again producing a smart all-the-way ride.
Skipper Joe held off the fast-finishing Gaze Beyond ($2.90) from the stables of Bathurst trainer Roy McCabe to win by just over a length.
It added a part of seconds in the past month - at Bathurst then Orange - since he has returned from a 20-week spell.
