BENDIGO trainer Nick Smart vows to be back and better for the experience after finishing down the field in his first tilt at the Group 3 Jayco Bendigo Cup.
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The Smart-trained Single Handed finished 12th of 14 in the $400,000 feature race, won in an impressive fashion by the Michael Moroney-trained Top of the Range, ridden by champion Western Australian jockey William Pike.
One of the newest additions to the Bendigo training ranks, Smart said the five-year-old had needed a bit more sting out of the ground to produce his best
"It was disappointing ... he had a lovely run in transit, jumped well and got a good run off the speed in behind them," he said.
"I thought we were a good chance, but my worry was when the track was upgraded to a Good 3. To be honest, I was worried about a Good 4.
"All of his wins have been on a (Good) 5 or 6. Going from a 3 to 4 was more a worry for me and (the jockey) Declan Bates has pretty much come in confirmed that.
"I have trained the whole family and none of them have won on a Good 4, they've all needed the sting out of the ground.
"I thought we were coming here with a good chance, but things just didn't work out."
Smart who scored a Listed race win in Adelaide two starts back with Single Handed, insisted nothing had been lost in having a crack at the prestigious 2400m feature and was sincere in his praise of Top of the Range.
"The winner was very good, he's a nice horse," he said.
"He ran second in this year's Adelaide Cup to the good horse of Paul Preusker's (Surprise Baby), who is going around in the Melbourne Cup.
"This is a good race and it takes a good horse to win it.
"Hopefully I might find a better horse, or this bloke will improve in time for next year.
"We'll take him home and see what sort of toll its taken - I would say he would be feeling it in the morning."
Jockey Bates was similarly adamant the 'firm ground' had been the issue for Single Handed.
"It was not a case of not running out the trip, it just felt he wasn't all too comfortable when I let his head go and asked him to sprint,"
"He just sort of saved himself a bit on the ground."
Meanwhile, Smart is considering a trip to Mornington on Sunday with his recent Gawler Cup placegetter Silent Command.
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