Not much has come easy for Robert Anderson when it comes to Holy Camp Rob.
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But that doesn't mean the hobby trainer fro Grenfell has failed to enjoy his time with the six-year-old gelding.
Holy Camp Rob scored the fifth win of his career on Sunday night at Dubbo Paceway, powering home to take out the Kyle Barnes Memorial (2120m) after being stuck mid-pack for much of the trip.
But the win, like much of Holy Camp Rob's career, wasn't without drama.
Anderson very nearly missed the race after he had to replace a shoe on Holy Camp Rob before leaving while tyre trouble on the trip to Dubbo meant he arrived less than an hour before race time.
"I didn't know how I'd go," the trainer-driver laughed.
But it failed to rattle Holy Camp Rob and that shouldn't come as a shock given what the Passmaster Hanover X No Dreaming gelding has endured during his career.
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"He's got a bit of a story," Anderson said.
"After his first start in Canberra he broke a bone in his leg and I was told he only had a five or 10 per cent chance of racing again.
"But I put him out in a paddock, probably the roughest one I've got, for two years and then worked him back up and didn't give him a trial or race and then he came out and won first-up."
That win came in Young in December of last year but he proved to be highly inconsistent following that and failed to win again until midway through this year, when Anderson made a change.
"He pulled a lot so I got him a race hood with the ears. I thought it was a bit expensive at $150 but he became a different horse overnight," he said.
"He went from a chase horse to a race horse."
Since June of this year Holy Camp Rob has won four of eight starts while he's placed on a further three occasions.
He was strong again on Sunday at Dubbo, despite being boxed in and stuck three back along the pegs in the final lap.
Star Play (Justin Reynolds, $7.50) and $1.85 favourite Beast Mode (Tom Pay) broke clear down the back straight and seemed set to duke it out but Holy Camp Rob ($4.20) finally got space as Studleigh Shannon ($7.50) tired around the bend and Anderson was able to peel to the outside and motor home to claim a 3.9m win.
"It was a bit tight around the first corner and he hits the pegs and it was a bit rough so I just had to go with it," Anderson said, having hoped to be further forward from gate seven early.
"It opened up at the right time though and sometimes you need a bit of luck.
"I didn't think that one outside me (Studleigh Shannon) was going to drop off but around the bend he started to labour a bit and I had some horse left and he got to the line well."
Star Play was second while Soldtoyoulady (William Cassell, $31) was third.
Anderson made a point to all the sponsors who supported the meeting while adding his win was a little more meaningful given it came in a memorial event honouring Barnes, a man who had a huge amount to do with the Dubbo club.
"It was a nice one to win," he said.