Caulfield’s Tobin Brothers Celebrating Lives Handicap marked Highvol‘s return to the winner’s enclosure, prompting trainer Nick Ryan to ponder a Queensland foray for the gelding.

From his two-year-old debut wins, Highvol had endured a barren spell until Saturday’s 1600m triumph.

Jamie Mott piloted Highvol ($16) at the head of affairs, snatching victory by a whisker from Tarntanya ($18) on the line, Himalayan ($5.50) back in third.

Highvol had previously conquered the Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington as a juvenile, with Ryan intending a Brisbane winter challenge.

However, sickness prevented the Queensland trip, so Ryan opted for spring targets.

A bold closing fourth in Moonee Valley’s Stutt Stakes saw Ryan enter the three-year-old in the Victoria Derby.

“He had a frustrating spring,” Ryan said.

“He ran super in the Stutt second-up, flying home, against these types of horses.

“He then almost won a Geelong Classic, and we pushed on to the Derby, but it flattened him a lot and I was very mindful of that and hence we didn’t rush him back for the autumn.

“I went and looked at him and said to the owners to give him some more time because he was quite tired after the Derby.

“He was second-up today. They went very slow last time, and he’s no good off a slow tempo, and when they sprinted, they left him flat-footed.”

Building on his Sandown first-up last month, Ryan invested heavily in Highvol‘s conditioning for the 1600m.

“I said to Motty that I had screwed him down between runs and he’s at his best free rolling off a fast tempo and that’s what that was,” Ryan said.

“It was a bit of a dogfight late and he’s good in the soft, so there was a lot of positives.

“He’s a handy horse and he won his first two and we had plans to go to Queensland, but he got crook.

“He ticks the wet-track box, and he makes his own luck, so a trip to Queensland, anything is possible.”

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