The astuteness of trainer John Bateman was once again highlighted when four-year-old gelding AZOUSTIC swept to victory at Goulburn on Thursday.
Ridden a treat by Kayla Nisbet, AZOUSTIC appreciated a fast run 1400m as he rushed down the outside of the field to score by a widening two lengths.
The son of ZOUSTAR may have taken until his eighth start to break his maiden, but there is no doubt he has relished a change of scenery from Joe Pride’s Warwick Farm base to the more peaceful surroundings of Goulburn, having finished first and second in his only two runs under Bateman’s care.
AZOUSTIC’s form turnaround is another great advertisement for Bateman’s horsemanship and reinforces why Proven Thoroughbreds is committed to maintaining a presence in country New South Wales.
With a lightly-raced horse like AZOUSTIC, the lucrative highway races are now on the table, as are showcase meetings, and potentially, Country Championships in the long term.
One horse with a very similar profile to AZOUSTIC is stablemate WAR DECK, who finished runner-up in the 1600m BM58 event later in the day.
Since swapping Warwick Farm for Goulburn, WAR DECK has recorded two wins and three placings from six starts.
It is results such as these that have contributed to a 28% winning strike rate and 55% place strike rate for the Bateman stable since February 1.
Proven Thoroughbreds is currently offering shares in a WINNING RUPERT x TREE OF JESSE colt to be trained by John Bateman. For as little as $2,090 + GST you can join the team on this colt’s racetrack journey.