Chris Waller's willingness to learn has resulted in I'm Imposing being reborn as a miler and his late charge gave him victory in the Festival Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
I'm Imposing had been considered a stayer and won the Summer Cup a year ago when it was run at 2000 metres, but at nine he has shown a liking for being kept fresh.
"You never stop learning with horses and if you don't close yourself off from change, they can change," Waller said. "He is better trained like he is now on the fresh side. It means he doesn't have to do as much work and has that finish at the end."
I'm Imposing gave Waller another winning treble after Harrier Jet and Religify had been impressive winners earlier in the afternoon. He will head to Randwick one of the leading Villiers contenders in a fortnight.
I'm Imposing arrived just in time to beat Estonian Princess by a short half-head with leader Strawberry Boy hanging on for third only a long head away. Favourite Generalife was a breath away in fourth after hitting the front and peaking on his run.
It was a pretty ride from Tye Angland, who tracked Generalife into the race before pulling out about the 300m mark and charging late.
"He takes a couple of strides to get going but he has a big burst and he always seemed like he was going to get there," Angland said. "The speed was good, which suited him, and he still had that turn of foot."
Angland is looking forward to the Villiers in a fortnight as are trainers Scott Aspery, with Estonian Princess, and Steven O'Dea, who had Sir Moments run into fifth.
"The bigger track and a mile will be even better for him and it should be run similar," Angland said.
Aspery was delighted with Estonian Princess, which got a couple of bumps from Generalife in the last 200m when he was feeling the pinch of a hard run.
"That was great," Aspery said. "She has made a long run and looked the winner. The other fellow just had the drop on us.
"We will get another crack at him in the Villiers and I would be confident she will give him a race."
O'Dea was always worried about coming to Rosehill with Sir Moments, which got buried away on the fence and was near last on the turn before weaving a passage to finish on the placegetters' heels.
"He never really got out in the clear and got a crack at them," O'Dea said. "He finished the race off very hard and the Villiers is in two weeks at Randwick, which will suit him better. I can't wait to get him to the mile now and he has some improvement left there."
John O'Shea said Generalife would go for a spell after a luckless spring, which will end without a win. However, it was the wins in winter that O'Shea will remember from the five-year-old.
"He is a nice horse and he was the horse that kept us going in the winter when we had nothing," O'Shea said. "I had a doubt about him at the 1500m and that was a really tough effort. He missed the start and then got flushed out at the 800m and it told in the end. He hit the front in the straight but the early effort ... you could see him getting tired. He has earned a break."
Mouro was the disappointment of the race. After being heavily backed, he finished midfield. However, trainer Tony McEvoy said he had run his race before getting on to the track.
"In the stalls they put a filly in front and he got stirred up and colty," McEvoy said. "That didn't help him at all."
