He expected him to need the run, so Leo O’Reilly was pleasantly surprised by the performance James Dean delivered at Methven on Sunday.

The handy three-year-old made light work of his first race day appearance since May when he bolted away for a four and a quarter length victory over the well-regarded All Star Magician.

It probably wasn’t so much the shock of the win that surprised O’Reilly, he’s been a bit of a fan of the horse for quite a while now, but more the ease in which the son of Santanna Blue Chip put paid to his rivals inside the final furlong.

“I really thought he’d probably be a run short,” O’Reilly said.

“So for him to come out and do that is quite a nice wee surprise. Especially because he did it so easily too.”

O’Reilly elected to start the three-year-old colt off the back of a solitary workout win on the Methven track the weekend before. And while for most it might have left a little dust needing to be blown out of the tank, the run clearly worked the oracle for James Dean.

A winner now of two of his five career starts with placings coming in a further two of those appearances, James Dean is now a horse with options, although one glaringly obvious option is off the table.

“We didn’t pay him up for the Sires’ Stakes because we thought being by Santanna Blue Chip it probably wasn’t worth it,” co-owner James Reardon said.

“All our others are paid up for, just not this guy and it turns out he’s the one who might have been competitive.”

Raced by Reardon and Ashburton’s Dean Harrison, James Dean looked better than average from the first time he stepped out onto the track and O’Reilly has been patient in his handling of the colt.

“We knew he was only going to get better with time,” O’Reilly said.

“And it looks like the wee break at the end of his two-year-old season has worked well for him.”

Reardon purchased James Dean’s dam, Alegria for $7,500 at the Christchurch Weanling and All Age Sale in 2013.

Offered up by Studholme Bloodstock the daughter of Caprock had already left handy types; Alexis and Jackaroozy so there was a bit to like about the page.

She had been served by Santanna Blue Chip when put through the ring and Reardon added Harrison to the breeding and ownership of the mare and foal and James Dean was the result.

She has a Bettor’s Delight filly on the ground and has been served by Mach Three.

O’Reilly said a trip to Kaikoura was next on the cards for the talented three-year-old before they sat down and worked out a bit of a plan for the rest of the season.

Matt Markham