A smart ride by Lee Magorrian aboard Delveen repaid the faith shown in the apprentice by trainers Peter and Dawn Williams.
Despite not being able to claim in the Stella Artois 2100 Handicap, the 20-year-old retained the ride at Ellerslie on Saturday and he turned in a polished display.
Magorrian sat at the back of the field on the former Australian-trained mare.
He took advantage of a rails run in the straight and they finished well.
Delveen had been winless at Ellerslie in three previous attempts and her performance was an encouraging effort with a future view towards the group one Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup. She is currently a $26 chance for the March 4 feature.
Graphic remains the $5 Wellington Cup favourite ahead of Saturday's Manawatu runner-up Maygrove at $6 and Just the Tip, $9.
Just The Tip provided Janelle Millar with the first stakes win of her training career and the free-goer doubled the Taranaki horsewoman's tally with a gallant win in Saturday's Listed feature at Awapuni.
The late bloomer showed his front-running skills when successful in the Wanganui Cup and he repeated the dose in the Gallagher Marton Cup.
Bred by racing photographer Trish Dunell, Just The Tip will now attempt to hold his form against stronger company in the Wellington Cup. So, Chris Munce failed to go out of race riding with a blaze with victory in Saturday's A$2 million Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast.
Munce, who now turns to training, cannot really say that means his racing ship hasn't come in.
One of the shortest jockeys on record, Munce is one of just seven riders lucky enough to complete Australia's grand slam, Melbourne Cup (Jezabeel), Caulfield Cup (Descarado), Cox Plate (Savabeel), Golden Slipper (Prowl and Dance Hero).
Being mentioned in the same league as Roy Higgins, Pat Hyland, Mick Dittman, Jim Cassidy, Neville Sellwood and Damien Oliver means you've attained legendary status.
But more important, Munce dodged a bullet a couple of years ago when he overcame throat cancer.
Perhaps almost as significant, he survived 20 months in a Hong Kong jail without any visible signs of physical or mental damage.
He was arrested in mid-2006 with a quarter of a million Hong Kong dollars in his pocket along with notes on horses, creating an illegal money-for-tips scandal.
Only strenuous work by the Australian Government got Munce out of jail before the end of his sentence and he was due to do more jail time in Sydney, but Australian authorities negotiated him out of that.
Munce rode the favourite, Wicked Intent, in Saturday's Magic Millions Classic and never looked a winning hope.
- Additional reporting NZ Racing Desk
