Gatton trainer Leanne McCormick posted her first metropolitan Saturday winner when consistent Mountbatten won the Mount Franklin Plate at the Gold Coast.
The Plate race over 1300m was designed to attract country and provincial trainers but Mountbatten had been racing in city class.
The gelding gave McCormick her first Doomben winner in a midweek race in January but it was her first metropolitan Saturday win.
McCormick has a small team and has been training for about two years, producing five winners overall.
She was quick to praise jockey Jim Orman who led all the way to win on Mountbatten ($4).
“Jim walked all of the track before the first and said he would get away from the fence in the straight,” McCormick said.
“He is a top-class jockey and showed it again.”
Orman said he had planned to get away from the fence in the straight after leading on Mountbatten.
“He was strong at the finish and might win a better race,” he said.