Top Victorian trainer Ciaron Maher has mapped a carbon copy program for six-year-old Ziryab, as he did with Strawberry Rock, which went on to win last year’s Ladbrokes Hobart Cup.

Ziryab arrived in the state last weekend and goes into Sunday’s weight-for-age Aviso Tas Insurance Brokers Summer Cup over 2200m, primed to go one better than his stablemate and travelling companion, Strawberry Rock, which was runner-up in this race last season.

Ziryab, an English import that has been in Maher’s care just over two years, opened his Australian winning account in a BM70 over 1500m, and after a BM74 win over 1600m at Mornington, he went on to win the Terang Cup (2150m).

A minor placing in the Warrnambool Cup (2350m) followed, and a third in a benchmark 84 at Caulfield over 2400m ended a lengthy but successful campaign in May last year.

The gelding resumed in September and fourth-up he was a game second at Caulfield (2400m) before finishing four lengths from the winner in sixth place in the Pakenham Cup before making his way to Tasmania.

“Ziryab had good Melbourne metropolitan form before coming to Tasmania,” said Maher’s travelling stable foreperson Elli Lubeek.

“This is the first time he has travelled interstate since arriving from the UK, but he seems to have travelled really well.

“He had a grass gallop at Elwick on Tuesday, and he went super.”

Ziryab will be ridden by Irish rider Robert Whearty, who arrived in Maher’s stable late last year and landed his first winner for the stable aboard Immortal Star in a BM70 at Mornington in mid-December.

The other interstate invader to line up in the Summer Cup is the Richard Laming-trained Bank Maur that has been in the state for over a month.

Bank Maur tackled the Conquering Stakes (1400m) in Launceston five weeks ago, in which he finished a disappointing last of 12, but he improved out of sight at his subsequent outing in the Inevitable Stakes, which netted him a third behind Durazzo.

Laming sent the six-year-old to Tasmania with the major cups in mind and he will be much more at home over Sunday’s 2200m journey.

Last week’s Devonport Cup winner Asva looms as the best of the local brigade as the former Sydney-sider is aiming to make it three wins on the trot, having won the Brighton Cup in Hobart prior to swooping home from near the rear of the field to win in Devonport.

Asva won a maiden at Newcastle when in the care of Peter and Paul Snowden prior to making his way to Glenn Stevenson’s stable at Wesley Vale where the beach environment has contributed to the six-year-old reaching a new level.

Last season’s Launceston Cup winner Distrustful Award was tried interstate in October but missed a place in the Seymour and Geelong Cups and at his latest outing he finished sixth of seven on his home track in the Longford Cup (1800m) on New Year’s Day.

The Peter Luttrell-trained gelding will be better suited on Sunday but probably won’t shine until he steps out over 2400m.

The Summer Cup is race seven on the eight-event card and is scheduled to start at 16:50.