VENOM RUSH stormed back to form in some style at Ipswich with an emphatic win in the last race of the day.

The chestnut ran right up to his flashy looks with a two-and-a-half length victory in Thursday’s Class 1 Handicap (1200m) under Brandon Lerena, who had the luxury of easing him down near the line.

VENOM RUSH had finished down the field at his previous start in the Queensland Day Stakes (1200m), but the three-year-old had legitimate excuses having been trapped wide throughout the Listed contest.

Punters jumped off him as a result, but those who kept faith at $7.50 were duly rewarded when the gelding left his rivals standing to bring up his second career win from eight starts.

“He’s clearly a very talented horse,” said Michael.

“The mental side of things has been a struggle for him at times, and we’re still learning about him as we go. But it was great to see him put it all together. It was a pretty nice field for a Class 1, so I was half kicking myself before the race that we were jumping from the outside gate in a very competitive race, but he was very impressive.

“I’m sure it won’t be the last race he wins in his career, and I think we’ll step him up to 1350 or 1400 metres next time. That win will probably sneak us into the Grafton Guineas (1600m) next month, so that will be his main target and we’ll look to leave enough petrol in the tank. He’s relaxing so much better in his races, so I think he should handle the step up in trip no problem.”

Many congratulations to his owners: S U Liyanasuriya, Mr U S Liyansuriya, A P Parkinson, Mr M Romeo, Mr A Latina, Mr G T Stephenson, Mr G S Curtiss, Pig Sty, Mr A W Mcleod, Mr A M C Pearson, Mr G A Bishop, Mr P Beddoe, Mr J Wijey, Mr B D Clarke.