IT had been fourteen starts since Ben Settree's So Am I had won at Bathurst Paceway prior to Wednesday night's Modern Art At Lochend Stud Pace (1,730 metres), and it certainly hadn't been for a lack of effort.
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The Hes Watching four-year-old had placed four times over that stretch and run into his share of bad luck, but things finally went his way during his latest effort.
So Am I ($3.80, Anthony Frisby) utilised the sprint lane to take down race favourite Studleigh Sonny ($3.10, Jake Davis) by 1.7 metres and claim his fourth career win at start number 39.
Frisby had initially gone out in search of the lead on So Am I, though when that opportunity didn't arise he spent the race nestled in directly behind Studleigh Sonny, who was running in the death seat.
Im Major Harry ($3.90, Nathan Hurst) came up for a three wide move inside the final 600m and at that same moment the leader, Chase The Feeling, began to fade before the last turn.
Studleigh Sonny came across to take up the lead with Im Major Harry to the outside while So Am I latched onto the new leader's back.
The race best-backed trio then found themselves a small break as the drifting Chase The Feeling held up the remainder of the field.
Studleigh Sonny shook off Im Major Harry but he wasn't getting rid of So Am I.
So Am I launched down the sprint lane, found the lead inside the final 50m and came home in a 1:56.8 mile rate.
Im Major Harry finished a further five metres away in third.
Settree was quick to praise Frisby's efforts in the gig.
"He's been a bit of an enigma here in the fact that the races haven't sometimes been run to suit. Last campaign he'd draw bad, end up back last, and sometimes rattle home for second or third," he said.
"This one didn't pan out quite the way that we saw it. It was a little bit hectic through the middle stages but Anthony drove a very smart race given the way it unfolded. Fortunately for us he was able to be in the right place at the right time.
"We always wanted to go forward with him and we thought we might have been able to find the front.
"Anthony summed the situation up though and he didn't push on with plan A. He was able to formulate a second idea on the run."
Settree said half the battle with So Am I is getting the right version of him to turn up to the track on race day.
"He's a funny little horse in that when he's on song he can really work some amazing sectionals at home, then when he comes to the races he sometimes turns up then other times he doesn't," he said.
"I knew that if the right one turned up then he'd win. It was just a matter of if we had the right one on the float. He's a bit tricky like that."
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