Bedford returns to winning ways at Sandown

Bedford has made a welcome return to the winners’ list at Sandown after a long absence.

Five-year-old Bedford has snapped a lengthy absence from the winner’s circle with a dominant display on a heavy track at Sandown.

The Anthony Freedman-trained gelding showed his promise with back-to-back 2000m-wins at Caulfield during the early part of 2018 and was considered a Doomben Cup prospect when he finished a close fourth in a Listed race in Brisbane on heavy ground in April that year.

After a winless 2018 spring and two unplaced runs so far this campaign, Bedford dropped back in class and bounced back to winning ways in Wednesday’s Long Fine Plate (1800m) under Jamie Mott.

Bedford ($13) drew away over the final 300m to beat Our Peaky Blinders by 3-3/4 lengths with Travimyfriend another three quarters of a length away third.

“It’s good to see him back doing that,” assistant trainer Sam Freedman said.

“We were fairly confident today. He was back to 78 grade and these soft conditions, he has run well before in the Tails Stakes up in Queensland.

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“He lost his way a bit for a while but we really think we’ve got him back on track.

“He’s shown promise. It’s just you’ve got to have him in the right mental frame of mind.

“And today he was perfect.”

It was a successful day at the office for jockey Jake Noonan who notched a winning double aboard the Racheal Frost-trained Deep Euphoria and the Jamie Edwards-trained Aluf.

“It’s been a while,” Noonan said.

“Doubles anywhere are good, but when you get them in town you do enjoy them.”

The Mitchell Freedman-trained Lucky Wick made it three heavy track wins on the trot in the Blue Star Print Handicap (1600m) for fillies and mares while the Hawkes Racing-trained three-year-old gelding Assertive Approach continued an unbeaten start to his career, winning the Yulong Handicap (1000m).