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A successful Boxing Day has boosted Janelle Millar’s confidence ahead of next month’s Wellington Cup meeting.

The New Plymouth trainer produced the progressive mare Te Hana for a stylish win at Awapuni while stablemate Just The Tip was a game second, performances that confirmed Trentham plans for the duo.

“Just The Tip had that run over the mile and he’ll go on to the Marton Cup and then hopefully the Wellington Cup,” Millar said.

The Danroad gelding credited Millar with the first stakes success of her training career when he won last month’s Listed Wanganui Cup and he gave another bold showing on Friday when he beat all but Iamishwara in the Manawatu Summer Cup.

The lightly-raced Te Hana has also been in great touch this preparation for Millar, who prepares the Falkirk mare for breeders Windsor Park Stud.

A fresh-up winner at Otaki in November, she then came from the tail of the field to win at Trentham and on Boxing Day she took a class rise in her stride to trounce her Rating 75 rivals in Johnathon Parkes’ hands.

“She gets so far back in her races and I thought she might be a bit horse shy, but Johnathon has assured me she does go between horses,” Millar said.

“She’s only just coming to it now and physically she will be much better next year, but in the meantime she’ll go to the Douro Cup at Trentham.”