Nucleozor was a stylish debut winner and he again proved in a league of his own at Riccarton to maintain the perfect start to his career.The exciting son of Almanzor was untested in his latest appearance over 1000 metres and the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained youngster will now be set for black-type targets.The Listed Welcome Stakes on April 13 and the Listed Champagne Stakes three weeks later are on his program.“He’s a horse with a lot of scope and size about him and obviously has plenty of natural ability,” Sam Bergerson said.“We expect he’ll only get better with time and age, so whatever he’s doing now is just a bonus. He has the makings of a lovely three-year-old.”Bred and raced by Te Akau Stud and Weston Lea Bloodstock’s David Peacocke, Nucleozor has a good mix of precocity and stamina in his pedigree.His dam Nucleonic was a juvenile winner while granddam Mexican Rose was a champion two-year-old and three-year-old in Singapore, having also won two of her three starts in New Zealand.Nucleozor’s older sister and stablemate Qali Al Farrasha has recently placed in both the G1 New Zealand Oaks and G3 Sunline Vase.

Embellish isn’t short on quality among his first crop and Black Opium has added her name to a promising spread of three-year-olds.

Our young Group 1-winning stallion son of Savabeel has made a strong early impression with dual Australian stakes winner Bold Soul leading the charge and backed up by black type performers Luberon, Talisker, What You Wish For, Quintabelle and Paragon.

The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Black Opium showed she had the potential to also reach that level following an impressive debut victory over 1200 metres at Tauranga.

The filly, who had been a lead-up trial winner on the course last month, unwound strongly from third last on the turn to score under rider Billy Jacobson.Bred and raced by Chris and Margaret Cartwright, Black Opium is out of the Sakhee’s Secret mare Jonquil who is from a half-sister to three-time elite level winner Daffodil and also the family of dual Group 1 winner Atishu.

Trav added to his staying record when he produced a dominant performance to score at Trentham.Not for the first time, the Raymond Connors co-bred, part-owned and trained four-year-old was slow to leave the barrier and settled four back on the fence under apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll.They cut the corner into the straight and the gelding wound up strongly over the closing 300 metres to win going away by 2.3l.Trav has now been successful in each of his three racing seasons and has won two of his three starts beyond 1600 metres for an overall record of four victories from 14 appearances.He is out of the Savabeel mare Royal Sav, a half-sister to the dual G3 Stewards’ Handicap winner Royal Oz with the G1 Auckland Cup winner Roger That on the pedigree page.It is also a family that Connors has previously enjoyed outstanding success with, including his G2 Wellington Cup and two-time New Zealand Cup winner Blood Brotha and the G3 Manawatu Classic winner and G1 New Zealand Derby placegetter King Johny.