Ballet Master (NZ) (Stravinsky) bounced back into winning form on Saturday, posting an upset win in the Caulfield Handicap (1600m).
The Chris Hyland-trained seven-year-old gelding ran under the radar of most punters after being unplaced in three previous starts this preparation.
A pre-race chat between Hyland and jockey Luke Currie saw Ballet Master return to his favoured racing pattern, and the son of Stravinsky duly delivered.
“He is funny because once the winter is over he has about four months off and this year it has taken a bit of time to get him into gear,” Hyland said.
“Luke said last start I couldn’t get him any closer. We had a chat before the race and I said he races best when he is close, that is his normal racing pattern so Luke said he might give him a tap around the backside going into the gate.
“He was in a much better spot (today), his usual spot and went on with the job.”
Ballet Master jumped smartly and settled behind pacemaker Jittery Jack (Desert King). The pair set a strong pace and put five lengths on their rivals, as the gap closed Ballet Master launched his challenge with 100m to go and finished strongly to beat Jittery Jack by 2.3L.
Ballet Master was purchased by Pat Hyland, father of Chris, for $100,000 as a yearling out of Ardsley Stud’s New Zealand Bloodstock draft and now has nine wins to his credit
The Hylands have enjoyed a good relationship with the Wallace family of Ardsley Stud, and Pat Hyland previously trained multiple Group Two winner Ballet Society (NZ) (Stravinsky), a three-quarter sister to Ballet Master.
