Worth the Wait!

It may have been a long time between drinks for talented stayer Butwaittheresmore but the sparingly raced six-year-old displayed a great will to win with a particularly tough performance at Flemington on Saturday.

Settling well along the rails early, the bay - who had last tasted victory at Tatura in April 2008 - lost his position around the back of the course, jockey Chris Symons reporting that he resented racing with horses around him.

Subsequently well back by the time the field approached the final turn, Butwaittheresmore found himself in a tricky position in the straight - a wall of horses in front of him.

"We missed the boat!" Symons admitted, grateful that an opportunity for a clear run finally arrived - "fortunately another boat came!"

Squeezed in between horses and baulked for a run, Butwaittheresmore did not get out until well less than a furlong to go - taking a few strides to get balanced. But when he did he really knuckled down, wearing down the leaders and getting up in the last bound to win by a nose.

"He surprised me with the way he lengthened and picked them up," Symons said - adding that he was not sure if he had snatched victory - "I was rapt when I saw that number go up!"

Michael Moroney was also pleased, happy to have Butwaittheresmore back in the winners circle on the comeback from tendon injury.

"It has taking him a long time to get fit and we possibly stepped him up to the 3000m too quickly last start," he said - adding that he is confident the gelding will run that sort of trip once hard fit.

"We will toss around what to do next and discuss it with the owners," Moroney continued - citing the Perth Cup and the Bagot as options.

"The Bagot might be the softer option," he said.

Raced by the GG Syndicate Ltd (manager Gerard Peterson), Rohan Aujard, Neil Irvine and Graeme Ferguson, Butwaittheresmore was a bargain $20,000 South Island Sale purchase for Paul Moroney.

He is by the little known stallion Lord Of Warriors – a dual Gr.3 winner in Hong Kong – out of the Gr.3 winning Sepulveda mare Wind Flower from the immediate family of the Gr.3 winners Renee and Requisite.