Scobie Breasley Medal winning jockey Blake Shinn holds out high hopes for Freight Train after his first-up win at Sandown.
Shinn was reunited with the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr trained galloper in the Stow Storage Solutions Handicap (1600m) on Wednesday, having ridden the gelding in the first two starts of his three-run campaign earlier in the year.
Successful over 1600m on debut at Pakenham with Shinn aboard, Freight Train was stepped up to 1800m to finish second at Sandown before heading for a spell after finishing near the tail of the field in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley in March.
Coming from a rearwards position before turning for home on Wednesday, Freight Train, the $2.10 favourite, stormed home to score a three-quarter length win from Heavenly Eagle ($18) with Teser ($3.70) a nose away third.
One thing Shinn notice prior to Freight Train’s race on Wednesday was the physical improvement the gelding had made from his first campaign.
“When I got on this horse, he has really developed, physically,” Shinn said.
“Mentally, he’s still not quite there. He’s a dumb bugger at his fourth start, so there’s plenty of improvement in him.
“I didn’t lob in the spot I wanted to as he didn’t have the early speed, and we had to come back a pair and the speed was slow.
“So, he’s done a good job to win first-up at the mile.”
Kent Jnr said there was a lot to like about the first-up win after Freight Train gave the leaders a tidy start early in the straight.
“There wasn’t a lot of speed on paper and that’s the way it panned out, so we had to rely on the horses change up speed,” Kent Jnr said.
“He was class above them, which is exciting and no doubt there was some exciting late splits there to reel the leading pack in and he did it comfortable in the end.
“He’s a very promising horse.”