Hugh Bowman was forced to abandon pre-race tactics with Upshot but the four-year-old still managed a tough win at Warwick Farm to stamp his potential leading into the spring.
Wearing a black armband to honour his grandfather Roger Wotton who died on Thursday, Bowman used all his strength to get the favourite home in the Jim Beam (1300m).
The Joe Pride-trained gelding was sent out at $2 and overhauled Rumour And Scandal ($3.30) to win by a long neck with Mr Bolinger ($7) the same margin third.
“It was the plan to ride him a bit quieter and we thought O’Crikey might lead,” Pride said.
“But Hughie was able to come up with a Plan B. He’s a great jockey and that’s why we put these blokes on.”
Bowman is known for his horsemanship, not something he got from his grandfather, a former National Party politician and the long-serving member for Castlereagh in the NSW parliament.
“Gus as we called him, was a keen cricketer but for me it was always going to be horses,” Bowman said.
“He died on Thursday aged 93. He had a good innings.”
Pride’s plans for Upshot include black-type races for the horse he says is the most pigeon-toed he has ever trained.
“He would never have gone through the sale the way he walks,” he said.
“He was retained by his breeder (Peter Moran) and that was a good move.
“I think he is definitely a black-type performer and will get up to 1600 metres.”
Although O’Crikey didn’t lead as Pride had hoped, the Gary Portelli-trained stable stalwart ran a length fourth, all that was needed to tip his earnings past the $500,000 mark.
“He has been a great horse for the stable but he has just lost his pace,” Portelli said.
The nine-year-old’s 72 starts have yielded eight wins and 16 placings.
