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It may have been six weeks between races, but Batman showed he relished the freshen-up when he ran his rivals ragged in the Listed BP2GO Alco Mosgiel 1200m at Wingatui on Monday.
Jockey Kylie Williams took advantage of the number one gate and took the son of Falkirk straight to the front. In a beautifully rated ride, she managed to string out the field of smart southern sprinters and left them struggling to make up ground when it mattered.
In the early stages it was only Super Trouper and Madam Bentley who kept in touch with the runaway leader. At the 400m as the back markers moved up into challenging positions, Batman kicked away to put what was a winning break on the field.
Signify was the only one able to make up ground over the closing stages to finish just a head behind Batman. There was two and a quarter lengths back to Miss Bentley in third position with the same margin back to the favourite Kinagat in fourth.
Williams was clearly moved by the victory, saluting the heavens to acknowledge the late Rebecca Black as she returned to scale.
Batman came into the Listed event with solid form, culminating in a victory over 1400m at Riccarton on New Zealand Cup day when he downed Maybe Miami and Nashville. Despite that, trainer Neil Ridley wasn’t brimming with confidence.
“You’re never totally confident. He was very well before the race and he’d drawn a good marble,” he said.
That inside draw came into play when determining riding instructions in what became a replica of his Riccarton win.
“We decided if he could get a soft lead then we’d take it, and see if he could kick away,” he said.
The seven-year-old is something of a day-to-day proposition, though Ridley said he hasn’t had any problems with the horse since he was sent south by Sam Lennox, who remains in the ownership.
“All going well and if we can keep him in one piece then we will head to Riccarton at the end of January. There’s a 1400m race that should suit him,” Ridley said.