Three-year-old First Command may have only held the track record at Sandown for barely three minutes but trainer Lee Freedman was still predicting an exciting future for the gelding.Officials initially posted a winning time of 54.35s for First Command in Wednesday's Waratah Handicap (1000m) but corrected it to a hand-timed 55.43s before jockey Steven Arnold had dismounted.The revised time put the son of Commands just outside Poet's Voice's record 55.24s on the Hillside track.Stablemate Braided G
Three-year-old First Command may have only held the track record at Sandown for barely three minutes but trainer Lee Freedman was still predicting an exciting future for the gelding.
Officials initially posted a winning time of 54.35s for First Command in Wednesday's Waratah Handicap (1000m) but corrected it to a hand-timed 55.43s before jockey Steven Arnold had dismounted.
The revised time put the son of Commands just outside Poet's Voice's record 55.24s on the Hillside track.
Stablemate Braided General put on a near-record pace and looked set to bring up his third win in eight starts until the shadows of the post when First Command lunged to snatch a half-head victory.
Ballarat debut winner Thorn Lake finished 3-1/2 lengths away third but would have been closer had he not missed the start.
First Command was having only his fourth start and is unbeaten this campaign after being gelded following his well-beaten debut at Cranbourne in May last year.
While the photo-finish gave him Wednesday's win he was dominant at his two previous runs, scoring by seven lengths at Ballarat and four lengths at Mornington.
"I'm warming to him," Freedman said. "I think he is a pretty useful horse."
Freedman said he was wasn't convinced about First Command's ability until he won at Mornington but he now believes he could be stakes class.
"Horses can win maidens easily but they have got to start stringing wins together and that's what he's done," Freedman said.
"We probably won't push him up to top grade this time in but he will be a lovely four-year-old."
First Command impressed Arnold with the way he was able to make up three lengths on Braided General in the last 200 metres to win and he felt he had much better wins ahead of him.
"He is a good, powerful sprinter and it was a good effort to run the other horse down," Arnold said.
"He quickened like he's a pretty good horse."
Trainer Robbie Griffiths said Thorn Lake, who won by six lengths at his Ballarat debut, would be better for the experience at Sandown.
"You can't raise the bar then bomb the start like he did and expect to win," Griffiths said.
"The winner always had his stablemate to run down and we lost focus when we got too far out of the game.
"I wasn't disappointed. His motor is no different but the hype on him was ahead of his experience. He is just a bit behind in his skills."