KEY POINTS:
Otaki trainer Karen Zimmerman will pursue a Group One clash with top mare Seachange after her stable star Bonjour easily eclipsed his rivals in yesterday's Wealleans Matamata Cup.
She confirmed the $200,000 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on October 29 was the race foremost in her thinking for Bonjour, who carried topweight of 58kg to a three-quarters of a length victory in yesterday's Listed 1600m feature.
Bonjour is also entered in the $250,000 Coupland's Bakeries Mile at Riccarton next month but Zimmerman is concerned the Frenchpark 7-year-old will be too highly weighted to be competitive there.
A third option is the Listed Feilding Cup (2000m) at Awapuni on November 4.
Whatever race Zimmerman decides to tackle, Bonjour will have a break afterwards to freshen him for another tilt at the Group One $250,000 Thorndon Mile at Trentham in January, an event in which he ran third last season.
Yesterday's Matamata Cup win was Zimmerman's third in the past six runnings. She won with Rodin in 2002 and has had a runner every year since, winning last year with King Of Ashford, who ran unplaced in the Toorak at Caulfield yesterday.
Asked what she would have to represent her next year, Zimmerman said: "I don't know what yet but it will be something."
The win was jubilantly received by owner Mario Moretto, who admitted his legs were like jelly as he walked down the grandstand stairs.
"Amazing. Two in a row - how can you believe it?" he said in reference to Bonjour's previous-start win in the Group Three Merial Metric Mile at Awapuni a month ago.
Aboard for both races was Canterbury jockey Chris Johnson, whose ride was sublime.
He had Bonjour travelling sweetly beyond midfield, tracked Alonzo three wide into the race 700m from home and hit the front soon after straightening without any extension.
Bonjour hit the line full of running with Ben Hogan finishing on for second, a long neck ahead of Kirra Sand. Platinum Elle was fourth ahead of the late finishing Spin Around and Kerry O'Reilly.
Early on, Moretto had intentions of training Bonjour himself but passed him on to Roydon Bergerson at Awapuni before transferring him to Zimmerman, to be closer to his home so he could watch the horse train.
The win was Bonjour's ninth from 27 starts for earnings of $215,600.
Johnson said Bonjour had put in a top effort. "He carried 55 kilos at Awapuni and was up to 58 today but you wouldn't have known it - he just strode up to them."
