A rails-hugging ride by Terry Moseley paved the way for local runner Lord Darci to break a 22-year hoodoo for local Canterbury stables when he took out the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 125th Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday.
Bred, raced and trained by former All Black Bevan Wilson and his wife Robyn, the five-year-old son of Darci Brahma turned the tables on his last-start conqueror Summer Festival as he out-finished the former Italian Derby winner to win going away by two lengths at the winning post.
Away well from barrier seven, Lord Darci handled the testing Heavy10 conditions with aplomb before looming into contention along the inner as the field fanned across the track at the top of the long Riccarton home straight.
Summer Festival, who had led throughout, was going strongly in front and fought hard when joined by Lord Darci at the 300m before succumbing late in the piece, with Verry Flash running on well from the back to take third albeit eight lengths in arrears of the winner.
Wilson was rapt with the performance as his charge became the first local runner to win the race since McLaskry in 1999.