Trainer Hideyuki Takaoka was spot-on when he thought Sunday’s $45,000 Class 4 Non Premier race (1700m) would be a winnable race for his relatively small team of five runners, but he probably did not expect the win to come from the less-fancied half of his duo.

A bit of homework as well as getting out of your comfort zone can pay dividends in racing as jockey Michael Rodd happily found out on Friday night.