Chris Gibbs has a time-honoured staying feature in mind for his genuine performer Chevron.
The Ruakaka trainer is looking at the G3 New Zealand Cup for the son of Westbury Stud stallion El Roca, who was a deserved winner of the open 2000 metre contest at Matamata on Saturday.
“He’s in the Cup and whether he is a two-miler I don’t know, but we might have to find out,” Gibbs said.
“He doesn’t take a lot of work so we’ll probably go to a 2400 metres race next at Te Rapa and then down to Riccarton.”
Chevron has been racing well this preparation with little going in his favour and had finished runner-up in three of his last five appearances.
Luck was taken out of the equation at Matamata and the six-year-old broke quickly to make the running under jockey Sam Weatherley and defied all challengers in the run home.
“We thought we had to go forward and he had my heart going a bit, he wobbled around the corner but got the job done and Sam rode him perfectly,” Gibbs said.
Chevron was hotly pursued in the straight, but dug deepest to post the fifth win of his 22-start career, which features a further 12 placings.
“We got it nicely in front and he was quite happy rolling along with his ears pricked,” Weatherley said.
“They got to me early in the straight, but he doesn’t give in and it was a good win. The further he goes the better he’ll be.”
Bred and raced by Markwood Lodge, Chevron is the first foal of the Refuse To Bend mare La Cite and pedigree that features the G1 Telegraph Handicap winner Guiseppina, the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner The Pooka and Sir Statham, who won an edition of the G3 Concorde Handicap.