Altermatum last to first

Quality mare Altermatum turned in a last-to-first performance at Ballarat on Thursday, November 20.

After jumping a shade slow and being squeezed, the four-year-old mare was still good enough to come around the field and win the RMBL Investments Rising Stars Race (1200m).

The victory gave trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy and owner Wayne Mitchell’s Pipeliner Bloodstock a winning double having scored in the preceding event with Hiatus.

Apprentice rider Logan Bates didn’t panic as he brought Altermatum ($1.75 fav) to a half-length win from Rosa Aotearoa ($3.60) with Flux ($26), 2-1/2 lengths away third.

Altermatum gave away a start to her rivals, but Bates brought her wide turning for home and the mare rounded up the field, even though the second horse looked to have grabbed a possible winning break past the 200-metre mark.

Winning trainer Tony McEvoy sounded a word of warning about Altermatum.

“I didn’t like the watch shortly after the start,” McEvoy said.

“She has got into this habit of being slow out and I said to Logan (Bates) he would win it in the first 50 metres – we just have to get her out of the gates.

“She is just stepping too slow and giving herself a lot of work to do.

“Thankfully, she was good enough today but as we keep stepping up, you can’t give them a start.

“I am going to talk to barrier experts to see if we can get some help to get her out of the barriers.

“We will be asking around because she is a really good quality filly, but you can’t give a length away at the beginning.

“I take my hat off to Rayan Moore (Racing Manager for McEvoy Mitchell Racing), he jumped on Logan very early and he is a star rider. He will be a star of the future.”

Winning jockey Logan Bates said despite the slow start, he was always confident Altermatum could win.

“She possesses a big finish,” Bates said.

“She was slow out but copped a squeeze which made it worse and she resented it a touch.

“They went quick anyway so she was always going to end up back there.

“I wanted to give her a chance to travel but I still had to make a sustained gallop from the 600 (metres).

“I knew they would be vulnerable late off that tempo.

“She did it pretty comfortable in the end, she got the job done and it was good to get another winner for the McEvoy crew.

“The feel Altermatum gave me off the corner I knew had plenty of horse left.

“It was great to get the job done.”