While the Intergaze x Handmaiden gelding was first-up in the feature race at Towac Park after a 20-week spell, his class came to the fore – even if he wasn’t expected to salute.

With Shannon Fogg – who also won the first for Gulgong’s Brett Thompson –  in the saddle, the $9 chance saluted by 3.8m over fellow Bathurst runner Tiger’s Story (Ashley Boyd, $17) to leave McCabe pleasantly surprised.

“It was a good quality field for a picnic meeting, but he was the class runner of the race Benchmark wise,” the trainer said.

“We weren’t expecting him to win, he’s a 2,000 metre horse who was first up over 1,300.

“We expected him to run well, but we didn’t expect him to win the way he did.

“He settled back second and third last and the young fella rode him back into it at the 500. It was the right time.

“He didn’t have to go around any horses, a gap opened up and he just went through it. The kid rode him very well, he did a great job.

“He won easy, the further the race was, the more he was going to win by.”

The win was the fifth of I’m Away’s 23-start career and McCabe hopes it is a sign of better things to come.

The trainer’s long term plan to is have I’m Away contest the $50,000 Dubbo Gold Cup, which means racing at more picnic meetings to qualify.

It has McCabe thinking about the Geurie picnic meeting on January 28 as the next assignment.

In the other races, Thompson’s Sneakin’ In won the Inland Digital Class B Handicap (1280m), Supreme Chips won the Steeline Maiden Plate (1280m), Henny’s Harmony claimed the Vaada Class B Handicap (1000m), Pretty Snazzy won the Kennards Hire Maiden Plate (1000m) and Gargarin saluted in the Angullong Wines Class B Handicap (1600m).

New Orange jockey Katie Jenkinson rode for a third in the third, on board Dennis Bush’s Miss Sakkara.