A gallant Habana gave weight and a beating to a competitive line-up at Pukekohe for his second win on the bounce.
Our son of Zoustar has fashioned a tidy record with his latest success in the $100,000 Stella Artois Championship Final over 1500 metres his fourth from eight appearances.
“He’s just a horse that has needed a bit of time, we gelded him and he’s matured and his form line is stacking up,” trainer Lance Noble said.
“His previous win gave him a lot of confidence and he’s going to keep improving.”
Habana, who had been successful earlier this month on the course, was given a good run behind the pace by jockey Warren Kennedy and the four-year-old finished relentlessly in the run home.
“Warren is riding at the top of his game and he was confident after galloping the horse on Friday,” Noble said.
Habana was a private purchase out of the trials and is a son of the Mossman mare Jeter, who won on four occasions and finished fourth in the G1 Schweppes Oaks.