This time last year Conor O’Ceirin was getting ready to tackle the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) on his home track of New Plymouth, but 12 months on trainer Robbie Patterson has elected to bypass the local feature in favour of chasing a lucrative southern bonus.

The seven-year-old gelding has crossed the Cook Strait and trekked south to Oamaru where he will line-up in the Crombie & Price LTD Oamaru Cup (1600m) on Sunday.

Patterson has targeted the southern feature as the key lead-in race for next month’s Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 127^th Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton, a race Conor O’Ceirin finished in third last year, with the added bonus of potentially becoming eligible for a lucrative bonus.

“That race (Oamaru Cup) fitted in nicely heading into the Winter Cup,” Patterson said. “He doesn’t race that well at New Plymouth, so we thought we would go down there, and there is a $100,000 bonus if you can win the Oamaru Cup and Winter Cup.

“He is tricky at the weights with 60 kilos, but he is there and should be competitive.

“It (Oamaru Cup) has come up really competitive, he will know he has been at the races.”

Stablemate Margherita Veloce has also made the float trip south after placing at Trentham last weekend.

The daughter of Vespa will tackle the Thank You Oamaru Jockey Club Supporters (1400m) ahead of Riccarton’s Grand National Festival of Racing next month.

“It’s a quick back-up from last Saturday and she should target a couple of races over the Winter Cup Carnival,” Patterson said.

“She will improve a heap with that run the other day, she hadn’t raced for a long time. Ciel (Butler, apprentice jockey) has made the trip down to ride her, so she gets in well at the weights.

“I expect a really good run from her, she has gone down south before and won and run second at Riccarton, so there is no reason why she wouldn’t be competitive on Sunday.”

A day prior, Patterson will line-up a handy team at New Plymouth, including in-form mare Catherinenz in the Sandfords Rural Carriers 1200.

“She has won three of her last four and she is creeping up in the weights a little bit in that 75 grade,” Patterson said.

“We are not claiming, Gryllsy (Craig Grylls, jockey) is back from holiday, so he is on and she should be competitive on a testing track.

“Going back to 1200m a little bit fresh, I expect a really good run from her.

“She has drawn well. The natural leader (Amend) has drawn one and she has drawn two, so she should be able to follow him around and hopefully ping off his back.”

Belles Beau is another stable runner in good form, taking a placing and a win into the Delval Coastal Agri 1400.

“He is a really nice horse going forward,” Patterson said. “He is not the biggest horse and has got a fair bit of weight (58kg) on Saturday, but he will be competitive that’s for sure. He will ping the gates and put himself right there and he shouldn’t be far away.”

Patterson also has high hopes for his full-sister Belles Fate, who will make her debut in the IBP LTD 1100.

“She had an operation to get some bone chips taken out of her fetlock,” Patterson said. “She is very smart, she is a full-sister to Belles Beau out of a very good mare, Belles Fast of Eddie Bourke’s, who set a track record.

“She should be very competitive, she is a good horse, and Ciel knows her very well and she gets in really well at the weights. No one else has claimed up the top and we are claiming, so she gets in very well, I think she will be a massive chance.”

Patterson will also line-up Sack The Publican in the 24/7 Security 1800, and Balladonna Lily and Ragamuffin in the AgFirst 1600.