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By Ray Hickson

There’s nothing like being first past the post to raise confidence levels and Hannah Williams has seen that in Nipotino as they chase back-to-back TAB Highway (1200m) wins at Randwick on Saturday.

Apprentice Hannah Williams (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The 25-year-old apprentice rides quite a bit of Nipotino’s work and has noticed the difference in the two weeks since his breakthrough Highway win.

Williams, who has been indentured to Nipotino’s trainer Danielle Seib for the past 18 months, said the gelding is one of those horses you need to get the timing right on but was rapt with how he coped with being out of his comfort zone in that latest win.

“You don’t really want to expose him until the last 200m or 250m,’’ she said.

“If he has too much time to think about it he sort of hits the skids a bit. But the other day I didn’t have cover at the top of the straight and he did a fantastic job.

“He can have a good little think but he was good.

“I think he’s gained a lot of confidence off that last run, that win really pepped him up a bit and he’s certainly very well in himself.”

Nipotino, $6.50 with TAB on Friday, was Williams’ third Highway success and her first in combination with Seib.

He’s a horse that runs himself into fitness and she said that was evident in his last start.

“I think that plays a part, he’s only little but he’s a round little horse so I think it takes him a couple of runs to get into the swing of things,’’ she said.

Associate is a horse Seib talks about in glowing terms and Williams said on the evidence of his last start Highway third behind Rematch he’s starting to work things out.

The gelding has shown dashes of brilliance, evidenced recently by his impressive win in the Southern Wild Card to force his way into the Country Championships Final.

His Highway placing was his first run since the Final and Williams said that performance in driving rain could be a turning point and she hopes he can consolidate on it in the Petaluma Handicap (1600m).

“He’s a big gangly sort of horse but that last run was probably the best he’s put in as a racehorse,’’ she said.

“He ran some really nice time late and it was seriously testing conditions. We walked away learning he probably doesn’t like a heavy track and that was very heavy.

“He’s still learning the caper a little bit but he’s progressing nicely, after each run he’s getting better and better.”

In the coming months, with her apprenticeship due to end in late October, Williams will have to make a decision about whether to extend her time and that’s something she’s just keeping in the background for now.

“I guess we’ll see how I’m travelling and play it by ear a bit,’’ Williams said.

Nipotino wins at Randwick on June 8

“Momentum comes and goes and you’ve got to keep that in mind, there are times you start to get the ball rolling a bit and times when it doesn’t.

“If I’m going great guns I’ll definitely consider extending it but I’m happy where I am at the moment.

“I love being in Goulburn. I’m happy riding in the country as well as I’m happy riding in town. If you can keep a good relationship with trainers and connections that’s going to take you a long way.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting