Wayne Hillis hoping Nothing Trivial’s Taupo Cup victory carries forward
The Matamata trainer’s versatile eight-year-old claimed major honours in the Harcourts-sponsored event on Saturday and at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day he will be represented with a pair of in-form runners in two feature events.
Watch This Space will tackle the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) while his two-year-old stablemate Bit Lippy will step out in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1200m).
“Watch This Space has got 59kg so he’s giving away a fair bit of weight and maybe the Thorndon Mile at set weights and penalties will be more up his alley,” Hillis said.
“He is well though and has won with 59kg before so we’ll see. Bit Lippy goes well and he’s been a bit unlucky in both of his runs.”
Jockey Sam Weatherley successfully reverted to Plan B with Nothing Trivial at Taupo, opting to drop the son of Elusive City, who won a hurdle race earlier this year, to the tail of the field.
“We were going to go forward, but a heap of them did that and good jockeys make a decision to go back and not get into a fight,” Hillis said.
Weatherley got on to the back of the favourite Quintessentially across the top and Nothing Trivial’s sustained finish earned him the 10th win of his career.
“He’s an old favourite and he should have won more, he’s had some bad luck,” Hillis said.
Nothing Trivial was making his second appearance since finishing eighth in last month’s Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m).
“He looked like being right in it on the turn, but maybe he didn’t see out the two miles,” Hillis said.
“He had a run at Te Rapa the other day and he improved with that