6 Nov 2016
The odds about exciting Cambridge Stud-bred Tavistock gelding Nymph Monte completing a Riccarton hat-trick have tumbled after the stayer completed a Listed double on the track.
He opened his southern campaign with victory in last month's Spring Classic and on Saturday he coasted home in the Listed Gold Club Metropolitan Trophy Handicap.
The Tavistock five-year-old, bred by Sir Patrick and Justine, Lady Hogan, has now been cut from $5 to $2.60 to win next Saturday's Gr.3 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup.
Part-owner and trainer Grant Nicholson said he decided to campaign the five-year-old at Riccarton after he had been balloted out of the Gr.1 Livamol Classic at Hastings.
"I decided to refocus after that and come down here and so far it's all working out," he said.
Nymph Monte was given a good run near the pace by Danielle Johnson and they made short work of their rivals in the run home.
"We definitely wanted to go forward. We didn't think there was much pace in the race," Nicholson said.
Johnson let Nymph Monte cruise up to the leaders at the top of the straight and they forged clear to comfortably account for Saint Kitt and Imperium.
"We got a nice position in the one-one and he did the rest, he was too good," she said. "I got rolling on him early and he's been very dominant."
Johnson has no doubt that Nymph Monte will stay the 3200m
of next weekend's New Zealand Cup.
"He'll run that distance out fine," she said. "He's not much to look at, but he's got a big ticker." ? NZ Racing Desk