Handy winter stayer Establishment has provided his syndicate of owners with plenty of excitement in recent months and did so again on Saturday when he produced another tough effort to take out his third career victory when successful over 2000m at New Plymouth.
The lightly raced 5-year-old son of Remindhas rarely been out of the money in his career to date, having finished in the top four in 14 of his 18 starts.
The Bill Thurlow-trained gelding had won by more than eight lengths over 2000m in rating 65 company at the track at his last start and while Saturday's margin was only four and a half lengths it delighted trainer Bill Thurlow who believes his charge has finally come of age.
"He is a horse who has just got better and better as he has matured and he relishes the wet winter tracks," Thurlow said.
"He managed to find one better on a number of occasions early on but that win at the start of the month showed me he might have turned the corner.
"He went up a grade for this race and it was a very handy field, so to win the way he did is very pleasing.
"When you look at his record, he has been a very honest horse and he always gives his best, but I think he may have found his groove with a little bit more racing and he is going particularly well at the moment."
Thurlow doesn't have any major plans for his charge, however he is eyeing up a home track feature in the spring for him.
"We've been easy on him and spaced his races, but you can't wait forever with them," he said.
"He's not the type to take on town hall company, but there is the Waverley Cup (2200m) on his home patch in September that he might be well suited to.
"If the tracks stayed wet then he would be well placed there and then we might put him away and wait for next season with him."
Establishment is raced by the Zagato Racing Syndicate that includes friends and family of Auckland restaurateur Mark Wallbank who purchased him out of the Long Acres Stud draft for $2500 as a yearling during the Book 3 sale at Karaka in 2018.
