Wayne Hillis is hoping Nothing Trivial's Taupo Cup (1950m) victory might be a forerunner to further holiday weekend success.
The Matamata trainer's versatile eight-year-old claimed major honours yesterday and at Ellerslie tomorrow he will be represented with a pair of in-form runners in two feature events.
Watch This Space willtackle the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) while his two-year-old stablemate Bit Lippy will step out in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Eclipse Stakes (1200m).
"Watch This Space has got 59kg so he's giving away a fair bit of weight and maybe the Thorndon Mile at set weights and penalties will be more up his alley," Hillis said.
"He is well though and has won with 59kg before so we'll see. Bit Lippy goes well and he's been a bit unlucky in both of his runs."
Jockey Sam Weatherley successfully reverted to Plan B with Nothing Trivial at Taupo, opting to drop the son of Elusive City, who won a hurdle race earlier this year, to the tail of the field.
"We were going to go forward, but a heap of them did that and good jockeys make a decision to go back and not get into a fight," Hillis said.
Weatherley got on to the back of the favourite Quintessentially across the top and Nothing Trivial's sustained finish earned him the 10th win of his career.
Meanwhile Stephen Marsh is considering sending Sophie's Choice on a road trip following her defeat of the older horses at Taupo.
The Cambridge trainer produced the Darci Brahma filly for a tenacious win in the Kinloch Fasttrack +$5K (1200m) and he is now looking at all options for the three-year-old.
"Ideally, we'd like to get a bit of black type with her so maybe a trip south," Marsh said.
The Listed Liquorland Gore Guineas (1335m) on January 20 is a possible target.
Sophie's Choice was making her first appearance for the summer at Taupo and the fresh-up win came as no surprise.
"She had trialled up really well and I thought she would be hard to beat," Marsh said.
Sophie's Choice settled in second spot before rider Danielle Johnson moved outside the leader Culzean before the turn and, after a battle down the straight, they got in the deciding stride.
