A gut feeling from trainer Brian Smith to keep Hume racing has had its rewards with the old warhorse smashing a three-year winning drought in the Chairman’s Handicap at Doomben.
Hume ($41) stormed home in the Group Three race over 2000m to record his first win since the Tattersall’s Cup at Eagle Farm in June, 2009.
Sydney stayer Ironstein ($6) finished three-quarters of a length second with Warrior Within ($12) a further half length third.
Smith says he will sleep on a decision whether Hume will tackle the Group Two Brisbane Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 9.
“I’m just go glad the owners have been very patient with him,” Smith said.
“I’ve never lost faith in him and I begged his owners to give him another go.”
Smith sent Hume on a Melbourne Cup mission in 2009 but his campaign came to an abrupt end when the gelding hurt a tendon.
“He showed us what he’s capable of in Melbourne when he ran second to the eventual Melbourne Cup winner Shocking in the (Group Two) Lexus,” Smith said.
Now an eight-year-old, Hume had a brief stint in Melbourne last year after he recovered from his injuries before returning to Smith’s stables.
He ran last in his comeback for Smith in the Listed Bert Hinkler (1200m) at Eagle Farm on April 21.
“I didn’t know if he was ready to come back but I had a gut feeling,” Smith said.
“I’m a gut trainer and felt he had been improving so I put him in this race.”
Trainer Gerald Ryan was delighted with the performance from runner-up Ironstein who was trapped four deep early and never better than three wide.
“Swap his alleys with the winner and he wins,” Ryan said.
“It was a risk we took to go forward and we paid the consequences.
“He’ll have another run here over 2000 metres in two weeks then go on to the Brisbane Cup.”
