CRUZ BROMAC UNDERGOING TESTS

New Zealand Cup winner Cruz Bromac is undergoing a scintigraphy dye test at Matamata before his 2020 race schedule is confirmed.

The procedure allows experts to pin-point any internal problems with horses and has proven a successful catalyst to finding minor hidden problems in many of the top Allstars horses in recent years.

Cruz Bromac battled away for fifth in the $245,000 Trillian Trust 2019 Auckland Cup on New Year's Eve, but on the surface was slightly disappointing.

While he raced soundly, the eight-year-old Falcon Seelster-Crown Defender gelding could have rounded the race off slightly stronger for top driver, Blair Orange.

Settling sixth in the running line early, "Cruz" was shuffled to beyond midfield and beyond before the end of the first lap.

He improved from second-to-last beginning the last 1600m, being parked before trailing early breaker Another Masterpiece with a one-out trail beginning the final 1000m.

Orange has him out in the three-wide line outside the leaders on the home turn, but he couldn't quicken in the run home.

Lightly-raced stablemate Self Assured (4g Bettor's Delight-Sar Of Venus) continued his rapid rise to the top, leading virtually throughout for co-trainer, Mark Purdon, holding stablemate and 2018 NZ Cup winner, Thefixer (Natalie Rasmussen) , Triple Eight (David Butcher), Chase Auckland and Cruz Bromac.

Self Assured, who was racking up his eighth win in 10 starts for $273,731, is raced by major Australian owner, Jean Feiss.

He paced the 3200m in 3:59.4, having too much speed over the last 800m in 54.7s and 400m in 26.9s, winning by a length and a half.

Self Assured is likely to head to Australia later this month, along with Thefixer and Chase Auckland, in search of more Grand Circuit features.

Meanwhile, top trotter Winterfell (5g Majestic Son-Una Bromac) capped off a big December by defeating Majestic Man and favourite Oscar Bonavena in the $98,000 Sims Pacific Metals 2019 National Trot on the New Year's Eve card at Auckland.

Winterfell, this time driven by Natalie Rasmussen, finished best after trailing Majestic Man, switched three wide in the straight to have the last say, winning by a neck in 1:59.9 rate for the 2200m, the last 800m in 55.6s and 400m in 27.4s.

Highly-rated stablemate Oscar Bonavena moved up parked over the final 1400m and after heading Majestic Man early in the run home, fought gamely or third, a further neck away.