Elder statesman trainer Jim Herriot was to the fore at the Grafton meeting on Saturday when he was able to win with the only horses he has been racing in Ottoman Empire.
Ridden by Jodi Worley Ottoman Empire was labelled urgent out of the gates in the BM 50 1420m with Worley making her intentions clear she wanted the front from barrier rise.
Once in the lead Worley allowed the gelding to roll along at a good speed before increasing the tempo in the run to the turn and then going handle bars down shortly after straightening to establish a winning break.
It proved to be a gem of a ride with Ottoman Empire racing right away to win by almost five lengths when the judge called a halt.
The win was first recorded by Herriot for a couple of seasons but in that time he has only had two horses racing with Ottoman Empire recording his third win for the stable. Given his excellent form on Heavy ground Jim will no doubt be doing a rain dance in the coming weeks.
