A back-up plan was carried out to perfection at Te Rapa on Saturday when progressive mare Pimms Time (NZ) bridged the gap to stakes company in the G2 Travis Stakes.

Trained at Hastings by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, the four-year-old came off a 1600 metre Rating 85 benchmark win to trounce a quality line-up of mares.

“It was a very good effort and she had trained on well since last week and it was always planned to come here for the Travis,” Lowry said.  “If ever you’re going to go over 2000 metres for the first time in Group company then to do it on the back-up is best.  That’s my theory, anyway.”

Pimms Time (4m Pins – Brampton Legs by Zabeel) is out of a sister to Caulfield Cup winner Railings and was a $60,000 buy from Waikato Stud’s consignment at the 2010 NZB Karaka Sale.

“I think she’s getting better and better all the time,” said winning jockey Mark Sweeney, who retained the ride after a flawless display aboard the mare at Hastings last week.  “I was much handier and she got there very easily and wanted to lay out a bit, but she won with a bit in hand.  The query was the distance but she might yet get a couple of hundred metres more.”

Pimms Time denied O’Fille (O’Reilly) the perfect end to her season after a preparation that has netted the Wanganui mare G3 wins in the Trentham Stakes and Cuddle Stakes plus the Listed Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes.

Third home was Quintessential (Fast ‘N’ Famous) completing a black-type clean-sweep for Waikato Stud stallions.