Cup win prolongs career

Batman lives to fight another day following his heroics on Saturday.

The eight-year-old earned himself a reprieve when he returned to winning ways to get the better of Johnny Jones and triumph in the PGG Wrightson Kurow Cup (1400m).

“I thought he may have done his dash,” Riccarton trainer Neill Ridley said. “We’ll carry on a bit longer with him now.

“We’ll get him home and I’ll sit down and work it out from there.”

Batman settled in fourth spot and the stakes-winning son of Falkirk finished determinedly in the straight to give stable apprentice Hayley Bennet the 14th and most important win of her career.

“We knew there was going to be plenty of speed on and Hayley rode him well,” Ridley said.

Batman is part-owned by Waverley horseman Sam Lennox, who formerly trained the gelding to win two races and a number of encouraging performances in strong age group company.

He placed in both the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1500m) and the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1340m) and ran sixth in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m).

Batman also finished runner-up at Bendigo during a Victorian campaign before he transferred to Ridley’s operation.

He has proved to be a good money-spinner in the south with a further six wins, including a Listed success in the Mosgiel Stakes (1200m) and a third placing in the Gr.3 Stewards Stakes (1200m).