The South Canterbury track is the training ground for the evergreen 11yr-old Aveross Rustler, who won the feature pace at Forbury Park yesterday for trainer Wayne Low and driver Blair Orange.
Age trumped youth when 11yr-old Aveross Rustler came off the back of the 3yr-old leader, Spirit of St Louis, and collared him just before the line.
Aveross Rustler had won seven races before Spirit of St Louis was foaled in November 2016.
Low had contemplated changing Aveross Rustler's work up when his form dropped away by hacking him around the dairy farm he manages.
However, the veteran has been training and racing so well it has not been necessary.
"I was going to wait until he wasn't going great and I would jump on his back and take him out to the farm, but I haven't had to yet," Low said.
"He is a very happy horse at the moment and the one-on-one training I can do with him really suits him."
Aveross Rustler showed his ageing sire - the now retired 27yr-old Live Or Die - could still produce winners.
Aveross Rustler's win meant the stallion had now produced winners in New Zealand for 20 consecutive seasons.
Low hopes Aveross Rustler can hand him a training and driving win in the near future.
The trainer, who has driven the horse to win three races, plans to find an amateur drivers race for the pair to compete in.
Despite being older, Aveross Rustler does not quite have the same veteran status as his fellow Forbury Park winner Alexy.
Alexy instantly rewarded trainer Denis O'Connell for his loyalty when winning race 6.
The 10yr-old made it win eight when swooping down the outside of the track for driver Jessica Young.
At 161 starts Aveross Rustler has had almost 100 fewer than Alexy, who won in his 257th outing.
Alexy was claimed out of O'Connell's stable during the winter before he enjoyed a successful stint at Darryn Simpson's Forbury Park stable.
O'Connell arranged for the return of Alexy to his setup at Waikouaiti and he was instantly rewarded.
King Cassidy's towering figure was too much for the favourite, Imran Khan, to handle in the last 50m of yesterday's feature trot.
King Cassidy snatched victory from his much smaller rival in the last few strides of the 2700m handicap.
The 7yr-old put a frustrating run of outs behind him with his win in race 5.
A shoeing problem, being run into by another runner and a gear alteration that did not work were behind the horse's form plummeting in his last three runs, trainer Chris Gerken said.
Yesterday's meeting was one of the best attended at Forbury Park in recent years. Racegoers took advantage of excellent weather and the club's car park was filled to capacity.
