UPPER East Side ended a 12-month drought for Swan Hill trainer Nathan Hobson when the six-year-old gelding took out the $27,000 Taylor Motors Handicap (1100m) at Hamilton on Sunday.
Nyah West jockey Madison Lloyd in the saddle and Hobson described it as a welcome reunion with the rider who began her apprenticeship at his stables.
“She rode a fantastic race,” Hobson said.
“She was well back for much of the run but Upper East Side has such a nice strong, powerful finish and Madison timed the run to perfection.”
It might have been 12 months since the horse last saluted but Hobson was pretty confident his next win was not far away.
He said the horse has been running a lot of places in recent preparations and could easily have racked up more wins.
“Upper East Side is a very honest horse and is consistently thereabouts and this is his fourth win for us since we bought him from NSW in mid-2021,” Hobson said.
“He is providing his owners with a lot of fun (his career earnings are almost $250,000) and this was only his second start this prep, after a break of 17 weeks.
“He is also a lovely horse to have in the stables, easy to get on with, never a problem.”
Hobson said he was looking at Swan Hill on April 17 for the horse’s next outing.
At the same time he was considering which horses he might take to Kerang and Warracknabeal on Easter Saturday – both are cup meetings, although he didn’t think he would have any starters in either event.
He was also planning the next start for his star galloper Yulong Storm, which he conceded was a bit disappointing at his first-up run at Flemington on March 25.
“In hindsight he just wasn’t fit enough (after 43 weeks off) but the run will have done him good and he will be in better shape, so at this stage I am planning to get him back to Flemington on Anzac Day and expect him to do a lot better,” he said.
