Ocean’s above
Ocean Emperor raced in behind the leaders and once into the clear he finished tenaciously for the seventh win of his career.
‘‘Shaun gets on well with the horse and he rode him positively today,’’ Hennessy said. ‘‘He didn’t have a lot of luck during the summer.
‘‘The only thing that worried me a bit was the track but, on his day he is a really, really good horse. He’s beaten some good ones.’’
Ocean Emperor is now a dual Group Two winner having won the Tauranga Stakes (1600m) in the spring.
Runner-up Tiptronic was gallant in defeat after making the running and Travimyfriend continued his consistent run of form in finishing third.
In-form mare Honneur Noir has put herself in the mix for a trip to Australia.
The daughter of Falkirk is on a roll and victory in Saturday’s New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Series Race at Matamata was her fourth success from her last six starts.
Trainer Peter Lock is in the early stages of mapping out an overseas programme for his stable star Hiflyer and Honneur Noir may also cross the Tasman with him.
‘‘We’ll probably head to Sydney with him in the next couple of months and this mare could go with him,’’ he said.
‘‘Hiflyer was on the water walker yesterday and I’ve never seen a horse improve so much. He looks amazing, I’m over the moon with him.’’
Lock also has domestic options with Honneur Noir and is unsure of her more immediate future.
‘‘My heart says don’t go to the Breeders’ Stakes at Te Aroha, but the money says to go,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s 20 in the syndicate that race her and I’ve got them all on my back, but we’ll enjoy the night first and then make some decisions.’’
Honneur Noir jumped well to race on the pace and she finished determinedly under jockey Sam Spratt to beat Yearn, who was giving the winner five kilos.
‘‘We were pretty confident, the only worry was the Dead 6 track and drawing one so I said to Sam to get off the fence when she could and stay one or two spots out and it all worked out well,’’ Lock said.
Lucky Sweep turned his form around with a hollow win at Matamata.
The five-year-old went from zero to hero when he produced a strong finishing run to score for the fifth time in his career with victory in Saturday’s Kirsty Cashmore Bayleys Real Estate Handicap (1600m).
Lucky Sweep had failed to beat a runner home at his previous appearance at Ellerslie.
‘‘He was pretty unlucky and I wasn’t able to let his head go,’’ regular rider Sam Spratt said.
A repeat was never on.
Winx’s winning streak is still alive and she has a world record.
The wonder mare won the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Her 24th consecutive victory came just two weeks after her jockey Hugh Bowman was heavily concussed in a race fall from Performer - his Golden Slipper mount - at Randwick.
Saturday’s victory was Winx’s 17th Group I success, enough to earn her a world record.
Trained by ex-pat Kiwi trainer Chris Waller, Winx beat home Happy Clapper and Kementari.
Her next start is likley to be in the Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on April 14.