Gunnedah trainer Gavin Groth has paid tribute to the durability and versatility of About Time, while admonishing himself for initially mishandling the eight-year-old gelding, after he won his second $14,000 Narrabri Cup (1200 metres).
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Ridden by Billy Cray, About Time returned from a 27-week spell to beat Grass Cutter (Vad Bolozhinskyi) by about half a length on Saturday.
"He's been a terrific horse for me," Groth said.
Newcastle Dancer (Geoffrey Snowden) was third - more than a length behind the winner, who also won the 2017 Narrabri Cup and finished third in last year's edition of the race.
Saturday's win was About Time's ninth in 54 starts, and his first since capturing the Santa's Sprint at Gunnedah, in Gunnedah, on December 9, 2017.
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Groth said that prior to About Time's lengthy spell - a period in which he experienced a bountiful spring and then a harsh summer - he "didn't fire a shot" in his previous preparation.
The trainer said "I hold myself responsible" for that. "I put him in races where he should have been a lot better, and he was doing nothing," he said.
"And when I had a look at the big picture, he hadn't had a spell for a good 12-18 months - he only had short let-ups ... He's a fresh horse, anyway.
"So I just put him in a paddock for six months, seven months, and brought him back, and he was in work for 11 weeks and won yesterday [Saturday] first up.
"But he's got a really good first-up record."
The "poor management" Groth said he had displayed with About Time was replaced by the judicious timing of his decision to return him to work. The "tough going" of the summer meant About Time, a "really big horse", had started "to fall away".
"So I brought him back in," Groth said.
