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Hawkesbury trainer Garry Frazer wasn’t at all surprised by outsider Living Choice’s barnstorming Bathurst win on Tuesday.

A $21 chance, Living Choice (Grant Buckley) was wide on the home turn but flew home to book-end the program for Hawkesbury trainers.

Brad Widdup had won the opening maiden over 1108m with favorite Ikaba (Christian Reith).

It could have been a Hawkesbury treble as Karen Outtrim’s Lugard Road was first home in the Maiden Plate over 1208m but lost the race in the stewards’ room to favorite Cappella Magna.

Frazer said having Living Choice gelded earlier this year had undoubtedly made a difference to his Husson five-year-old.

“He has come back with a better attitude, and that was reflected in his performance today,” he said.

“I’ve always thought a bit of him, and considered he could make a nice stayer. He was placed twice over 1900m at Canterbury late last year.”

Frazer trains Living Choice for long-time client Kevin Bastian, and recalled how he met the now retired owner.

“Kevin was selling trucks, and I bought a horse truck from him nearly 10 years ago,” he explained. “A couple of weeks later I bought three horses for him at the Classic yearling sale at Newmarket.”

Widdup added to his impressive record since launching his training career in May when he won with his first runner Junglized at Canberra.

Ikaba provided Widdup with his 12th winner including two in the city.

The three-year-old was having only his fourth start and second for Widdup after finishing third to Grand Finalist at Hawkesbury on September 2 over 1100m.

“His run was better than it may have looked that day as the winner ran record time,” Ikaba’s rider Christian Reith explained.

“We were pretty confident about his chances. He can definitely take improvement from that.”