If there’s a bottom to Ultimate Machete, Natalie Rasmussen hasn’t found it yet.

And chances are that it might take her a while to find it as the exciting three-year-old goes from strength-to-strength.

He claimed his second major three-year-old feature for the season last night when winning the NZ Yearling Sales Series Final in emphatic fashion over his stablemate, More The Better.

Asked for plenty by Rasmussen, who co-trains the colt with Mark Purdon, Ultimate Machete portrayed all of the same staying abilities he put on show in the Sires’ Stakes Final back in November.

“He just keeps digging, every time you ask him to,” Rasmussen said.

“I think he’s tougher than that other horse (More The Better) but he might have more speed than this guy.

“I know a lot of people are saying that he’s the clear top one now but there’s not much between them in our opinion.”

An $84,000 purchase as a yearling after being bred on the West Coast by Graeme and Katrina Walsh, Ultimate Machete has been a revelation this season and soon will give Australia a chance to witness his power when he heads to Sydney to contest three-year-old features there.

More The Better on the other hand will head to Melbourne.

“It will be nice to split them up for a bit,” Rasmussen said.

“They are both quality horses and will continue to do good jobs.

“Ultimate Machete just screams out that he will love the distance of the Derby and then when we can get him to two miles that will be even better.”

Ultimate Machete paced his 2200 metres last night in a staggering 2:36.1 – bettering Have Faith In Me’s national mark by almost 1.5 seconds.

Owned by Phil and Glenys Kennard, Phil and Margaret Creighton, Gavin Douglas and Kevin Riseley, the Bettor’s Delight colt out of Reality Check has now bankrolled more than $280,000 in stakes.

Jack’s Legend picked himself up another placing with a good run for third after settling on the fence. 

Matt Markham