A sharpen-up victory for four-year-old All That Pizzazz in Brisbane is just what Tony Gollan wanted to see with the $730,000 New Year's Day feature at Toowoomba now the firm aim.
All That Pizzazz's win in the Listed Bribie Handicap (1000m) was the seventh career victory in 14 starts for the gelding by Spirit Of Boom and with one member of the ownership holding a slot in the King Of The Mountain (1200m) on January 1, the opportunity to win the second running the race being too hard to pass by.
"He's a winner," Gollan aptly described.
"It was a nice lead-up to the King Of The Mountain at Toowoomba in three weeks."
Ridden by Ben Thompson, who won the inaugural running of the King Of The Mountain aboard Yellow Brick, the horse and jockey combination is proving to be a good one with this Thompson's fourth victory aboard the gelding.
"Ben Thompson knows him so well and the key was trying to be able to travel midrace," Gollan added.
"They were going so fast and you could see he was still niggling on the edge of the bridle and I had faith that he'd have good sectionals late.
All That Pizzazz ($4.40 favourite) won the Listed Weetwood Handicap (1200m) in September with Thompson aboard and scored by a length in this latest win over the Chris Anderson-trained Rubiquitous ($17) with Shooting For Gold ($4.60) a short-neck away in third.