SAVANNAH Gangster turned a tick-over fitness run into a victory at odds when he robbed his rivals blind at Eagle Farm. Unwanted in betting as a $30 chance, Savannah Gangster, ridden by Jake Bayliss, was ridden behind the speed before bursting through the pack late. He timed his run perfectly to win the Benchmark 68 (1600m) at Eagle Farm last Wednesday (July 2). Trainer Stuart Kendrick was full of praise for the gelding’s effort, noting the race was intended as a fitness run following a solid performance over 2200m at his last start. “It was a great win by Savannah Gangster,” Kendrick said. “At his last start he ran well over 2200m and this was a tick-over run for fitness, but he showed a great turn of foot when ridden a little bit quietly by Jake Bayliss,” he said. ”It was the horse’s second metropolitan victory.” Looking ahead, Kendrick confirmed the gelding will step up again to 1800m next start, and he is confident about the three-year-old’s chances. “He has now won two races in town and will be very hard to beat again,” he said.