By Jay-Anna Mobbs | The Mudgee Guardian It could not get much better for a Mudgee trainer who took the win for the Happy 90th Birthday David Lester CG&E Maiden Plate (1100 Metres) at Mudgee Racecourse on Saturday.
David Smith only just received The Scotsman a few months ago, and has scored the gelding’s first win already.
“He came to us big, green and raw sort of a horse,” Smith said.
“He’s taken a while to balance up and figure out racing so to speak, but he’s still got a lot to learn.”
The four-year-old bay gelding had a strong start and was able to maintain it through the duration of the race claiming first place.
“He bounced out and put himself on the bunny,” Smith said.
“He seemed to have come home strong.”
Jockey Andrew Banks pushed The Scotsman ($15) to a one-length victory over $2.30 favourite Gerrylarose, with Gulgong’s Duntroon Man almost a further two lengths back in third.
While Smith was at Randwick with another runner, he was being kept up to date by his partner who took The Scotsman to Mudgee.
Receiving phone calls hearing the commentating on The Scotsman’s race, Smith was experiencing some nerves.
The win came as a blessing for the relationship with Smith and his new clients.
“It was just a really nice strong win to kick off the start with a new owner,” Smith said.
Smith and The Scotsman will focus on getting the gelding into the rhythm of racing, taking one step at a time to respond to the new lifestyle.
“He’s still very green and new to it all so he will just take it step by step, going through his classes,” Smith said.
“He will probably only have another one or two runs maybe this time around, let him go out and think about it.”