WARRNAMBOOL trainer Matthew Williams broke the biggest drought of his career when galloper Artie’s Shore won yesterday’s benchmark 70 handicap (1300m) at his home track.
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Williams, who has been without a victor from his past 30 runners, was relieved to get back in the winner’s stall.
“It’s probably as bad a run as I’ve had,” Williams said.
“It’s good to get a winner.”
Williams is hoping the drought-breaking win, which came on one of the city’s wettest days for the month, is the start of more success.
He is now aiming Artie’s Shore at next month’s Port Fairy Cup (1400m) — a race he is likely to have three starters in with Turnitaround and Done Nothing Wrong already set for the race.
While the cup carries a $40,000 prize purse, it also has a $20,000 VOBIS gold owners’ bonus — an incentive Artie’s Shore is eligible to claim should he win.
Williams said the prospect of chasing metropolitan prizemoney on his home track was too good to ignore, especially because Artie’s Shore has finished no worse than second at Warrnambool from five career starts.
Artie’s Shore was first-up from a 17-week spell yesterday and the four-year-old gelding underlined his previous campaign’s form with a strong win.
Jockey Jamie Mott had him positioned on the heels of pacesetter Johnny Roo Boy before taking the lead at the top of the straight, kicking clear 150 metres from home.
They claimed a two-length win from the Symon Wilde-trained Gold Medals while Johnny Roo Boy was a further one-and-a-quarter lengths away third.
Williams expects Artie’s Shore to head back to city-class company after the Port Fairy Cup, which will be run on December 4.
He said he had a new batch of horses hitting the track, raising expectations more success is on the horizon.
The partnership of Ballarat trainer Darren Weir and jockey John Allen took the honours yesterday with two winners.
grbest@fairfaxmedia.com.au
