Awapuni trainer Lucy Tanner got the performance she was looking for from stable favourite Heavens Keep when he delivered a big effort to capture the Tumu ITM sponsored 1600 metre contest at Hastings on the weekend.

Tanner knew her six-year-old Savabeel gelding had to run in the money to justify her plan to contest the Gr. 2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile at Riccarton next month. The late bloomer had displayed plenty of promise in his last campaign where he won four of his 13 starts with Tanner keen to step him up to top company this season if his form warranted it.

Two starts in his current campaign had seen the gelding improve his fitness with Tanner and rider Johnathan Parkes confident he could deliver on the weekend. The pair had devised a plan to sit back off an expected hot tempo on Saturday and that played out beautifully as Parkes slotted Heavens Keep in behind a torrid pace set by Maid Of Steel and Strada Cavallo.

Parkes bided his time nicely and once angled into the clear Heavens Keep dashed home in the straight to score narrowly but well and confirm he is on target for his Riccarton mission.

“He didn’t jump away that great so I was able to slot across to three back the fence which wasn’t a bad spot to be in,” explained Parkes after the contest.

“At the top of the straight I had to wait for the run but once he got out into the clear he let down like a good horse.”

Tanner was understandably excited when interviewed after the race as her charge came back to the winner’s enclosure.

“I’m very very happy as I thought he would go a good race as he usually takes a couple to get to full fitness so we were expecting a better performance,” she said.

“His coat is finally falling out now so it’s onwards and upwards from here, bring on the Couplands Mile.”

Tanner has a plan in place to get to the Group Two Riccarton feature on the 9th of November with one to two more starts for her charge over the next month.

“We’ll have a couple of more runs now but it was imperative we ran first, second or third today,” she explained.

“I was confident with him as he needed his first two starts so now we’ve had the win we can move forward. You have to look ahead and keep planning so that’s what we are going to do.”

Bookmakers reacted to the win by trimming the gelding’s odds to $21 for the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile where he currently sits 31st in the order of entry before any ratings adjustment is assessed from his victory on the weekend.