The ever-consistent I Iz Brilliant broke through for his fourth career victory at Nowra on Sunday, with the enigmatic five-year-old getting home in the nick of time to win the 1000m Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Ridden by two-kilogram claiming apprentice Beany Panya, the Jack Van Duren-trained Zariz gelding made things more complicated than needed, missing the kick before playing silly buggers down the home straight.
Still, Panya was good enough to guide the $17 chance to a close win over the John Nisbet-trained Heart Of Vancouver (Emma Ly, $3.10), while half-a-length back in third was the Rex Cole-trained Love Of Air (Amy McLucas, $7).
I Iz Brilliant entered the race following a seven-week freshen-up, and Van Duren explained the reasoning for the short break in the lead-up to Sunday’s win.
“At his last start, he ran third (at Wagga) and should’ve won, and two starts before that (at Goulburn), he ran a good second and should’ve won,” Van Duren said.
“Then we had him ready for Goulburn, and you wouldn’t believe it, but he had a stone bruise.
“It meant we’ve gone easy on him, and he’s fairly fresh, so I said to her (Panya), ‘Try and keep him off the speed’, and when he missed the kick a bit, I thought, ‘Oh well’, we’ve got the cut away to give us a hand’.
“Then halfway up the straight, he started hanging in, and I thought, ‘We’re going to get beat’, but he got there, and that’s the main thing.”
I Iz Brilliant’s win was one of just two country-trained victories on the strong seven-race Nowra program, with the second being by the Scott Collings-trained Hobbsy (Nick Heywood, $1.95), which landed a comfortable victory in the 1400m Maiden Handicap.
Taken straight to the front by Heywood, the three-year-old eventually settled second behind the Joe Cleary-trained Proud George (Ruby Haylock, $6).
Turning for home, Hobbsy regained the lead and extended away for a two lengths victory from the Chris Hensler-trained Fifteen Black (Heavelon Van Der Hoven ($6) in second and the John Morrison-trained Flash Piper (Paul Zerafa, $71) in third.
For Nowra’s results, click here.
