Talented New Zealand-bred gelding I’mintowin (NZ) (Contribuer) announced his return to racing in style at Kembla Grange on Saturday with a victory under 62kg in the A$160,000 Evergreen Turf Benchmark 78 Handicap (1400m).
It was the first start since July for the Contributer gelding, whose rating of 82 made him a clear topweight. That made for a tough first-up assignment, but I’mintowin was well and truly up to the task.
Rider Adam Hyeronimus drove I’mintowin forward to take the lead inside the first 100m of the race. He dominated proceedings from that point on, kicking hard down the straight and winning impressively by a length and a half. He stopped the clock at a quick 1:21.18 for 1400m.
“To call that a good effort would probably be under-rating it,” Hyeroniumus said. “The track conditions helped him big time, but they’ve still got to do it, and especially first-up with such a big weight.
“He’s got good first-up form and looked so good in the yard. And then, the way he handled himself on the way to the gates, I was very confident.”
I’mintowin is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for a Darby Racing syndicate and has now had 13 starts for three wins, five placings and A$262,818 in stakes.
“To win first-up under 62kg is no mean feat,” Bott said. “That was a great effort by the horse today. He’s always shown very honest form for us, and particularly first-up.
“In a few of his campaigns, as we’ve got deeper into them, he’s just got a bit above himself. This time in, he’s been very relaxed and really held his composure, which has been a good sign.
“He has plenty of natural brilliance. They’ve run quick time today, so it’s good, sustained speed that he’s got. We’ll try him at a mile next start and then go one run at a time from there.”
I’mintowin was bred by Masterpiece Enterprises Ltd and is by Contributer out of the three-time winning Castledale mare Beguile.
I’mintowin began his career with six starts in New Zealand from the Byerley Park stable of Peter and Dawn Williams. He was a maiden winner at Avondale in November 2022, then finished third in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m), fourth in the Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) and ninth in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) before being privately sold into Australian ownership.
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