Lisa Allpress believes Dez could be the horse to put her back on the Winter Cup honours board.

She will ride the seven-year-old son of Zed for the first time in Saturday’s Gr.3 $100,000 Winning Edge Presentations 121st Winter Cup at Riccarton.

“I’ve been wanting to ride him for a while and I’m happy to finally get on him,” she said. “He’s a strong, tough horse and he’s got in on the minimum. I give him a big chance.”

Allpress won the Winter Cup on Propel in 2010 and she has twice had to settle for second since then, the following year on Ishiabeel and last year on Doiknowyou.

Dez has been lightly tried and from just eight starts he has registered four wins and three placings. He earned a crack at the Winter Cup with a last-start win in the Whyte Handicap at Trentham.

It will be the first crack at a black type race by his Waipukurau trainer Simon Wilson, who has made his mark as a highly successful showjumping rider.