It's been a long road back to the win column for The Scotsman, but the Mudgee-trained gelding finally chalked up another victory at Dubbo Turf Club on Saturday.
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The six-year-old hadn't won a race for trainer David Smith since 2018 and had a lengthy, four-month spell late last year and on Saturday he was first-up from another three-month stint in the paddock.
But with jockey Andrew Banks in the saddle, the underdog showed plenty of fight and grit to power through to the finishing line during the 1420m Benchmark 50 Handicap on the weekend.
"He performed pretty well," Banks said afterwards.
"He's had a pretty lengthy break before this and I was just a little bit worried about him running out the journey."
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Whatever concerns Banks had about The Scotman's staying power were washed away by the dogged runner's persistence around the final bend.
The Scotsman ($6) had already established himself on the first stretch of the race, finding an outside road around the $3.20 favourite Bid To Fame and relishing the challenge as the two hammered down the final stretch together.
While the Kieren Hazelton-trained Bid To Fame never fell far behind, there was a length margin between the two when they crossed the finish line, with Krissie Simpkins' Aisle Six ($12) following close behind.
The solid win, and the battle to secure it, is something that Banks expects to give the horse more confidence now that The Scotsman back in winning form.
"He battled really well, he's shown a lot of improvement with regards to how he performs fitness wise, I'd expect him to come back really well from this time out," Banks said.
The battler had shown promise from the very start, when Smith brought him into his stable and while the road to his latest win had been tough, Banks was confident the early talent was still showing through.
"He is still showing that promise, the only concern today really was his fitness, but he'll keep getting fitter and yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does this time."
Saturday's meeting was also a special one for Dubbo trainer Cindy Monaghan, who scored a victory on her birthday.
Coming from last on the home turn, the Monaghan-trained Humboldt ($14) swept down the outside for a one-and-a-half lengths win over Scarpa ($8) and Red Axe ($3.20 fav.).