Craig Martin admired the toughness of Ishim after the mare fought on strongly to win the Dutton Electrical F&M Maiden Plate (1200m) and break her maiden status at Tamworth on Monday.
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The four-year old led home a local trifecta with Jane Clement's (Bendemeer) Jade flashing home down the outside for second and Gavin Groth's (Gunnedah) Vista Girl another length back third.
After doing the work out in front for much of the race, Ishim was challenged in the straight but kicked on to win by just under a length.
"She toughed it out really well," Martin said.
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"They had a couple of opportunities to go past."
Speaking with Thoroughbred Central post-race jockey Matthew Palmer said he could "hear them (the challenges) coming a bit closer" towards the end.
"But she just kept sticking her head out at the business end," he said.
The way she toughed it out was what most impressed Martin about the run, not that it came as a big surprise.
"I knew she was a little fighter, looking at her two previous runs this prep the way she hit the line," he said.
Both she drew wide (10 and 11 respectively) to finish just outside the placings (fifth and fourth).
It was one of the reasons that after drawing six, he was fairly confident about her chances.
"Her last two runs, both jockeys that rode her hopped off and said she just needs to draw a gate and she'll win," he said.
He said the plan wasn't really to lead, he was just hoping to settle somewhere in the front three, but Palmer ended up having to roll forward with her.
Adding a nice synergy to the win, Martin had previously trained Ishim's mother Jendrick.
"She's the first foal out of that mare," he said.
"She was a pretty handy mare when I had her here."
So Ishim is proving to be too.
From now nine starts she has picked up a win, two seconds and a third.
And Palmer believes Monday won't be her last win, telling Martin she'll "win a few more" for him.
Coming off a five-week freshen up he has no immediate plans for her.
"The track was quite firm, she'll have a very quiet week," he said.
"I'll have a bit of a sticky beak around and hopefully find a Class 1."
The race wasn't without drama with equal favourite Obey, a late scratching on order of the stewards on vets advice after rearing up in the barriers.
