Nest Egg struck ideal conditions at Te Rapa on Saturday and the son of Westbury Stud’s Reliable Man duly took advantage with a strong staying performance to score over 2400 metres.
The Stephen Marsh-trained grey relished the trip and the firm deck to boost his prospects for next month’s G3 New Zealand Cup prospects.
The five-year-old’s impressive performance to post his fourth career victory resulted in his Cup odds tumbling from $16 to be an equal $6 favourite.
Reliable Man’s associate stallion Redwood also has a live Cup chance following Blackwood Star’s success at Trentham that has earned the lightly tried seven-year-old a $12 quote for the Riccarton staying feature.
Nest Egg settled four back on the outer before rider Warren Kennedy set him alight to sit outside the leader 900 metres from home.
They were in front at the top of the straight and stayed on strongly to have three and a-half lengths on his closest rival at the post.
“He got the distance and track to suit so it was nice to see him out them away like that,” Marsh said.
“Warren rode him beautifully and I loved the way he assessed the race. When the speed dropped out of the race he improved and absolutely nailed it.”
Nest Egg was making the fourth appearance of his campaign and Marsh had been pleased with his previous efforts over shorter trips and on unsuitably wet tracks.
“All his runs have been great and he’ll go into the Metropolitan (Listed, 2600m) on the first day at Riccarton and then on to the Cup (G3, 3200m),” Marsh said.
Nest Egg is out of the Bahhare mare Run To The Bank, a multiple winner and stakes performer who is due to foal again to Reliable Man.
She is a sister to the G1 New Zealand Derby placegetter Charliehorse and the family of the well-performed stayer Belfe, who won the Metropolitan and finished third in the New Zealand Cup.
Blackwood Star won for the third time in her 13-start career for co-breeder, part-owner and trainer Dan O’Leary when the seven-year-old rounded off strongly under Kate Hercock from the back of the field to triumph in the Stephanos Classic over 2100 metres.
She is a daughter of the Traditionally mare Miss Ana, who is from the family of the G2 Eight Carat Classic winner Smoulder.
Blackwood Star’s sire Redwood enjoyed a trans-Tasman double with the Gerry Harvey-bed and raced Walk In The Woods producing a strong performance to win over 1860 metres at the Avoca meeting.
The breakthrough victory for the Tom Dabernig-trained four-year-old came at his fourth outing and was resuming off the back of consecutive placings in May.
He is out of the Galileo mare Lunar Walk, who is a half-sister to the Group winners Tarleton, Play Around and Kid George.
She has an unraced juvenile filly by Tarzino and is due to foal to Swiss Ace.