The widely-travelled St Jean showed what a quality staying addition he is to the stable of Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs when he opened his New Zealand account at Ellerslie.

The seven-year-old emphasised his staying quality with a tough win in the Gr.3 Laser Plumbing Te Puke City of Auckland Cup on Sunday at the expense of his barn mate Candle In The Wind.

St Jean began his career in his native Ireland, where he was a winner, and he was then successful four times from the Warnambool stable of Aaron Purcell.

He was being aimed at the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in 2014 before he was side-lined with a tendon injury.

An e-mail from the owners came out of the blue to Logan, asking if she would take the son of Teofilo on and he has now proved himself an excellent addition to the yard.

“He’s got more air points than me, and that’s saying something,” Logan said. “He’s a seven-year-old stallion, but he’s a lovely horse to have in the stable - a real pleasure to have around.

“I’ve always had him down as our Auckland Cup horse and this has given me more confidence.”

In his third New Zealand appearance, St Jean settled toward the back of the field and he was able to sustain a long run to beat Candle In The Wind by half a head with a similar margin back to Five To Midnight.

“I rode to instructions – they wanted him left alone early and to take off at the 800,” rider Johnathan Parkes said. “It was a big run and he fought hard to the line.”