Late maturing Our Lone Star comes through for Mott

OUR Lone Star is an eight-year-old this season, but his Bendigo trainer Sean Mott believes the gelding is only now starting to mature.

The son of Magnus and Miss Kempinsky went some way to validating Mott’s opinions by claiming a stunning first-up victory over 1300m at Echuca on 16 April.

Ridden by Bendigo born and bred jockey Brad Rawiller, Our Lone Star had to come from second-last at the 800m and eight at the 200m to flash past the field down the outside for an impressive one-and-a-quarter-length win.

His seventh win from 56 starts – all of them bar last week at between 1400m and 1700m – was the first of his career first-up in a preparation.

“That was my only concern coming into (the race). I thought I had him pretty forward – he’s only three kilos off his winning weight,” Mott said.

“He only had the one trial, so he came (to Echuca) with that smidgeon of improvement.

“There was a nice race for him at Caulfield in two weeks, but now he’s won he’s pointed out of it, so I’ve done myself out.

“He’s eight, but he’s only starting to hit full maturity.

“I was hoping if he could win a race or two this prep, I might have a go at the Swan Hill Cup with no weight on.”

Mott’s belief that Our Lone Star is finally reaching full maturity comes almost five years to the day since the gelding’s breakthrough city win at Flemington on Anzac Day in 2021.

He added a second city win 12 months later at Sandown, but has been unable to land a third, despite some sound performances at metro level.

Rawiller, who boasts three wins and three seconds in 13 sits aboard Our Lone Star, admitted to being reasonably confident.

“Even just how he went to the gates, he was in great order,” he said.

“He’s a real dude to ride – he can be tricky and he can pull and he’s not necessarily the easiest horse to ride, but when you get him, he’s a beauty.

“I have had some luck on him in a few rides where he’s had a perfect run – he just makes his own luck then and you always get the best out of him.

“But yet, as soon as something goes wrong, all of a sudden things get tough for him.

“It just worked out perfectly (at Echuca).

“I didn’t necessarily expect to be that far back, but I thought it would be a good warm-up for him at Caulfield.”

With Caulfield now out of the equation, Mott will go back to the drawing board to plot Our Lone Star’s next run.

Rawiller forecast more improvement ahead as his latest campaign warmed up.

“It’s not like he hasn’t kept maturing and gotten easier to ride the further we’ve gone along with him. And to be fair, most of the time he’s been pretty good with me,” he said.

“If he happens to get a squeeze up early, it can take away his turn of foot.

“That’s when he’s a bit one-paced.

“I’m just rapt for him and rapt for Sean that he’s got him back and he could be even better.,

“I know he’s eight years old, but why not.”

Our Lone Star’s most recent win before last week was at Swan Hill in September last year.