Narrandera breeder Graeme Mathieson's great run with Wagga trainer Trevor Sutherland continued with a big-priced winner on Gold Cup day.
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Connections were counting their cash after Riverbend Chief ($41.00) finished powerfully to take out the Budget Truck Hire Benchmark 58 Showcase Handicap (1300m).
Some brilliant work on the training track on Tuesday morning provides connections with the confidence that the five-year-old could cause an upset on Cup day.
"Trev did tip it to me and we backed it," Mathieson said.
"You can't expect them to win like that when they are a big price like that but Trev said it was the best work it's ever done of any of his horses.
"So we're really happy."
Sutherland said Riverbend Chief worked as good as any horse can on Tuesday morning.
"We actually came here very confident this morning," Sutherland said.
"It took me a while to get him going but we're really happy with the way he's come on the last couple of weeks and his work on Tuesday morning was outstanding. We had the e-tracker on him and he went 10.9, 22.1, 33.1 home. They don't go any better than that anywhere."
The final piece of the puzzle was the addition of blinkers.
"So we put the shades on today. We've been keeping the shades, we'd thought we'd get him right. Last time it took him a few runs to get him fit enough and it's been the same thing this prep," he said.
"He's a horse I really like and once he gets over a bit more of a trip, he's even better because he's got a really good turn of foot.
"It was a great ride by Wardy and it's a great bunch of owners. It's good when it all comes off."
Brendan Ward settled back in the field from the inside gate and got Riverbend Chief into clear running down the outside in the straight.
Riverbend Chief score by 1 3/4 lengths from Benjamery ($9.50), with Poet's Muse ($26.00), for Wagga trainer Troy Lorback and jockey Bryan Murphy, running into third.
Mathieson has enjoyed a great run with his team of horses, particularly with the progeny of Riverbend Star, who has produced both Riverbend Chief and Two Wrongs Dont.
"We're having a real good run so far, with this breed, the Shrapnels," Mathieson said.
"And this mare, I'd ridden her off because I only give her Bon Hoffa and she's done nothing with them but these horses, like Two Wrongs Don't, he looks a really exciting horse."
It was Riverbend Chief's fourth win at his 19th career start.
It was a turnaround in form after being beaten comfortably at his first two runs back from a spell.
