The two-year-old son of Stryker followed an Avondale trial win with a decisive
3 1/4-length Ellerslie win on debut to earn a start in Saturday's Listed
Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1100m) at Te Rapa."We were very impressed," Gibbs said.
"He was a bit green and I thought the Te Akau horse [runner-up Embellish] had us well covered on the home bend but I was stoked to see him show that turn of foot.
"He's trained on well and we're happy with him. He's going into this race in good order but it's a tough field. There are a lot of good, proven horses in there so it won't be easy."
While that respect for the opposition is clear, the fact that Not Usual Trip is on trial for Brisbane is a good indication of the opinion the stable has of the colt, especially when the stable already has last-start Listed Champagne Stakes winner Qiji Phoenix earmarked for the race.
"He'd probably go to Brisbane for the same two races as Qiji Phoenix - the QTC Sires' Produce and the J.J. Atkins but he'd have to win this weekend or be extremely unlucky to warrant travelling over," Gibbs said.
Qiji Phoenix and Queensland Derby hopeful Comin'Through flew to Brisbane on Thursday, though stablemate Tavidream, another Queensland Derby hopeful that has been the subject of several offers, has remained at home.
"He can take the next available flight. We're just going to leave him at home and keep him ticking over at the moment with so much interest in the horse," Gibbs said.
The Logan-Gibbs stable will also produce Zafrenzy, Command Royale and Greencast on the Te Rapa undercard. - NZ Racing Desk
