Robbie Dolan guided Oughton to a determined victory in the Listed Eye Liner Stakes (1350m), giving Gold Coast trainer Melissa Kelly a memorable win at Ipswich on Saturday.
It was a milestone moment for Kelly, who celebrated her second black-type victory following Oughton’s triumph in the Recognition Stakes last season. Dolan, still riding the high of his 2024 Melbourne Cup win, was pleased to deliver for a smaller stable.
“It’s good for those sort of trainers. It means a lot to them. It’s their Melbourne Cup,” Dolan said.
“It’s a pretty good win for him. He has had lots of problems over the years, come back from Hong Kong.
“It didn’t go to plan in the race. I ended up down on the rail but I could see (favourite) Warnie two (lengths) in front of me and I just had my eyes set on him.
“Once I got him to the outside, albeit he wanted to lay in, he found the line well.”
The gelding had signalled his return to form with a solid fifth behind Front Page in the Moreton Cup (1200m). Dolan remained optimistic about his chances throughout the week.
“I had a bit of faith with this horse,” he said. “If you see my comment after I rode him last start, I said he could come to this race and be a good chance.”
Previously trained overseas, Oughton has adapted well under Kelly’s guidance, now boasting a strong winter carnival campaign.
“We thought we’d put him away and see what he could do over the winter,” Kelly said.
“He gets a little bit cocky. He knows when he’s won. He knows when he has run a good race.
“He was a little bit soft because he’d gone a month between runs last time and just knocked up. I knew today he was going in a lot fitter.”
At the finish, Oughton ($8) edged out Sha Of Gomer ($20) by half a length, while Fortunate Kiss ($19) filled third. Warnie, the race favourite, encountered traffic and could manage only fifth.
Earlier, the evergreen Flash Aah ($31) snapped an 1100-day losing streak by charging home in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m), giving trainer Troy Pascoe a well-earned result.
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