The four-year-old gelding by Stravinsky from Melbourne & Caulfield Cups queen, Ethereal, put in a bold performance at the trials at Ellerslie today to win his heat comfortably by two lengths.

Ridden by James McDonald for Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, he jumped well, sat back in the running, and ran home strongly to put in the best display of the day.

Plagued by setbacks as a yearling, the unnamed gelding didn’t make it to sale and instead had to be retained by the stud.

“He had a cyst on is stifle that needed to be operated on which we did then turned him out and forgot about him,” explained Pencarrow Stud Manager Leon Casey.

“He has obviously benefitted from the time out and has come back a very promising looking horse. With Dayess [Ethereal’s 3YO daughter] running a great race on Sunday at her first start, Ethereal has given us a promising week.”

Also winning her trial was the half-sister to New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Insouciant. The unnamed three-year-old filly by Van Nistelrooy beat a field of seven in the Maiden Catchweight 1200m to finish a half-length clear.

Insouciant’s dam Loudenne (Palace Music) wasn’t served in 2009, but has a two-year-old colt called Chateauneuf Dupape currently raced by Te Akau.

Ethereal has a yearling filly by Encosta de Lago and is currently in foal to Encosta de Lago.