Court Painter may not have the early speed to rival the greats of the racing game, but that doesn’t seem to worry his trainer Ivan Lister.
The Ardmona-based trainer watched on with delight as his eight-year-old gelding continued his impressive turnaround in career form on Sunday at Wodonga with a win in race eight.
If you were unaware of the potential and skill that Court Painter possesses then the watch would have been a hard one as the stayer settled plumb last ― only to fly home in jaw-dropping fashion to salute at near double-figure odds.
On a rain-affected Heavy 10, Lister’s swimmer stunned every onlooker as he ran over the top of his competitors inside the final furlong to pinch back-to-back wins following a seven-week break.
The half-length triumph was the son of Lucas Cranach’s fourth win from 46 starts.
“I was rapt with the run,” a proud and ecstatic Lister said this week.
“He hasn’t got any early speed in him at all, so I wasn’t worried when he was at the rear of the field halfway through the run. He made ground on them on the turn, but he still had some work left to do down the straight ... Jason (Maskiell) told me after that he gave him (Court Painter) a yell and it must have gave him a fright because he just took off again.”
So impressive is the win that multiple replays are needed to soak in the fact of his performance.
More than 12 lengths off the leader at the 800m, Court Painter ran over the top of his tiring rivals in the final four furlongs.
However, the veteran stayer was almost scratched from the race.
“I was a bit concerned heading up because on the Sunday prior he was lame,” Lister said.
“We found an abscess in his hoof and it’s a good thing Max (son) is a farrier, the earlier we got him to treat him the better. Even by Friday I was still unsure, but on Saturday he was carrying on as he usually does and I said ‘right, we’re going’.
“It was terrific to watch and he’s going outstanding. I think he’s going better than he was when he returned ― he’s a lot shaper in his work.
“He’s in a good space though and I think I’ve got him sussed out now.”
With spring weeks away and the heavy tracks of winter now in the rear vision mirror, Lister said it would be tricky to find his wet-track lover a run in the coming weeks.
The plan is to push Court Painter out past the mile and to target an 1800-2000m race.
“I would love him to win three-in-a-row. That would be unreal.”
For those who do follow Court Painter’s next run, you’ve been warned ― do not toss out that bet slip before the race is run.