Cambridge raider Sellwood showed he could be in for a profitable winter when he out-toughed his rating 75 rivals over 1200m at Awapuni on Saturday.

Trainer David Wilson took advantage of the three-kilogram claim of apprentice Darren Danis to reduce the five-year-old’s weight to 52kgs which proved crucial in the end as he held out the challenges of Just You and That’s Funny to grab the win.

Bounced out of a inside gate by Danis, the Patapan gelding dictated the pace throughout. Headed briefly by Just You early in the home straight, Danis didn’t panic as he kept his mount rolling along against the rail to reclaim the lead and fight off his closest pursuer to record his third career victory.

Wilson, who had originally trained in the Bulls region before making the move to Cambridge, was hopeful of a winning run rather than confident before the race due to the horse’s aversion to travel.

“We came down this morning rather than yesterday,” he said.

“He would have walked twenty or thirty kilometres in his box if we’d have come yesterday as he’s quite a busy horse.

“He goes alright and although he had a light weight it was a good effort.”

The victory was just reward for Danis who has had an interrupted season due to a lengthy stint on the side-lines following surgery to repair two broken vertebrae in his back that resulted from a horrific fall he took when riding at Timaru back in July last year.

He recommenced riding in March and Saturday’s victory was his fourth since then.