It’sourtime too tough in Standish Handicap

It was a case of returning to his happy place for Danny O’Brien’s consistent sprinter It’Sourtime, who won his fourth black type event over the ‘straight six’ at Flemington, narrowly prevailing in Saturday’s Group 3 Standish Handicap (1200m).

Ridden by Billy Egan, It’sourtime ($4.60) held off the late challenge of Aztec Ruler ($14) to win by a head, with early leader Joyful Fortune ($5) just a long head away in third. Race favourite Pereille had a chequered passage in the run and was beaten just a length in fifth.

Assistant trainer James Hicks said the seven-year-old gelding was a pleasure to train and deserved another win, his second at Group level and his fifth at Flemington.

“The team down at Barwon’s done a great job with him. They just tick him over,

he doesn’t have to do much work. He’s rock-hard fit, goes out in the paddock during the day, enjoys just being a horse. So he’s a pretty easy horse to deal with and train. Danny does a great job placing him, good team effort from everyone,” Hicks said.

“He always tries hard when it comes to the races. So we know when there’s a dogfight he’ll fight it out for us and put his nose in front.”

The Standish Handicap offers ballot exemption into the most famous of Flemington straight six sprints, the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m), in which It’sourtime missed the start badly last year, failing to beat a runner home, but consideration could be given to another tilt at the top level.

“It’s Danny’s call. But you get a golden ticket, so it might be worth just having a crack and see if we can win it,” Hicks said.

Billy Egan certainly earnt his riding fee on a hot day at Flemington to prevail in a tight finish as Aztec Ruler loomed up.

“I was half getting a little frustrated with him getting on the line because he gave me such a good ride. He went to a Harry’s horse like a winner and then just the last couple of metres, that horse coming on my outside was starting to worry him out of it, and I was like, oh come on, you bastard, there’s like 20 metres to go,” Egan said

“Just dig deep for me because the other horse nearly had him worried out of it. So I had to ask a lot of him, and he responded enough, you’ve got to throw everything at him and it’s good he got over the line.”