The Justin Blanch-trained gelding, an eight-year-old gelding son of Red Dazzler, came from back in the field to pulverise his opponents and win, running away by two lengths in the benchmarked 65 handicap. Vad Bolozhinskyi was the winning jockey and pulled the right rein when he let the others go and sat back in the field.

“I let him settle,” Bolozhinskyi said.

“He was strong at the end.”    

Blanch prepares Bob’s a Dazzler at Armidale and was delighted with Bolozhinskyi’s execution and his horse’s new ability to relax.

“He surprised me a bit. He’s settled down a lot now. I was worried he’s an older horse now and whether older horses come back as good as they were,” he said.

“He used to race fiercely when working in his last preparation and that too seems to have eased a great deal making him more tractable this time in.”

Blanch also believes the 1600m win, is the right launching pad to more success over 2000m.

“2000m is about his right distance,” he reckons.

“The Armidale Cup is on the cards I suppose. We’ll give a fortnight and then look around for something. He seems to have pulled up well.” 

Earlier Love For Willow helped Courtney van der Werf and Rod Northam celebrate a winning double.

Van der Werf had won on the Andrew Robinson-trained Barr Hill while Northam won the first race with Try A Lil Harder.

Love For Willow charged down the middle of Riverside to win the TAB.com.au F&M Maiden Plate (1200m) by a long head from fellow Scone-trained Crystal Lulu (Peter Bloomfield).

Van der Werf told Northam she thought she might have hit the front too soon.

She thought the four-year-old daughter of Denman was going to breeze past her rivals half way down the running but may have “peaked on her run at the 100m”.

Northam thought she raced well, stepping up from a 900m at her return to the 1200m.

“She’s done a good job,” Northam said.

“A real good run second up and found the line well.”

He will look for a Class 1 for her somewhere now.