Frontrunner does it in style

Matimba was allowed to make his own rules at Te Rapa and he never gave his rivals a look in as he cruised to victory in the open mile.

The freegoing eight-year-old revelled in his work and he strolled home by two and three quarter lengths in the Lodge City Rentals Handicap under apprentice rider Anna Jones

“We were very hopeful as he had been working well,” Tauranga part-owner and trainer Peter Darvill said.

“That was a pretty impressive win. I’m really happy with him and hopefully there’s a few more wins in him yet.”

Matimba had started off his current campaign encouragingly when runner-up on his home track before two unplaced performances, although he had genuine reasons for both of those failures.

“They weren’t his fault – one was on a wet track and in the other he copped one on the nose,” Darvill said.

Consensus, who raced in third or fourth spot throughout, returned a much better effort to finish runner-up following her last-start failure to beat a runner home in the Gr.3 Counties Cup while Silhouette Noir boxed in for third.

The red hot favourite Ronchi never gave his army of supporters any cause for hope after settling a clear last and beating only two home in the straight.