IF THERE'S one thing Scott Rains has plenty of it is patience.
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The young Longlea trainer has never been one to shy away from a challenge and has often found himself in charge of what some would term as 'project' horses, those who, for one reason or another, have not quite reached their potential or have yet made their mark.
Ce Pe Three is one of that fits the bill.
The four-year-old Mach Three gelding has only recently clocked up his fourth race start, after passing through a succession of stables in New South Wales.
More importantly for Rains and the horse's Darwin-based owner-breeders Kevin Richards and Andy Tomlin, Ce Pe Three notched up his first win at Tabcorp Park Melton last Friday night.
On the surface, the owner-trainer relationship would appear a perfect match.
If any two people have the patience to match that of Rains it's Richards and Tomlin, who have continued to persist with the gelding, who first trialled at Menangle in October 2019 and didn't have his first race start until 16 months later for his new trainer.
An elated Rains, who was in the sulky on Friday, said he was glad to reward them with a breakthrough win.
"The owners are just great people, so it's really good to get a win for them," he said.
"I gave them a couple of fist pumps as I crossed the line.
"The horse has had a few issues and has been to a few trainers and places, but they have persevered with him.
"There were issues getting him pacing right, and he's had stifle issues, knee issues, feed issues and weather issues - he's had the whole mixed bag unfortunately.
"I hope we've unlocked the key a little bit and he goes on to do a good job for them.
"He's a lovely horse to be around and to have around the place."
Despite Ce Pe Three being unplaced at his first three runs, Rains headed to Melton with plenty of confidence.
"His last run at Swan Hill, he copped a bad check at about the 1300m and we actually suffered a flat tyre," he said.
"He carried that for a long way. I kept checking on it to make the sure the tyre stayed on the rim, but he managed to run fourth.
"He looked like he was going to hold down third at one stage, but the toll it took him meant he couldn't keep it up."
Rains will continue to take a steady as he goes approach with Ce Pe Three, with a race at Bendigo next Wednesday night one option under consideration.
"He's been a hard horse to get going, but I think with his confidence up, he should hold his form with a bit of luck," he said.
"He's just like the type of horses I get, ones that are maybe in the wilderness a bit, or people are moving them on for various reasons.
"I do like the challenge, but in some ways it's more the challenge has been thrust upon me.
"It is satisfying getting a horse that might not have won for the connections and getting a win for them after they've put so much into the game."
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