Trainer Kent Rattray is hopeful last season’s Group 3 Evicus Final winner Twilight Storm can make a positive return to racing.
The filly resumes in a no more than one lifetime win event over 1680m in Launceston on Friday night.
Twilight Storm has not raced since 14 December, with a minor setback after her trial win at Carrick Park on 2 May delaying her return to the track.
“She had a little setback. I wasn’t happy with her work after that trial, so I scratched her, and then when I was getting her back up, she stumbled on the track and injured herself slightly, but it just set us back four weeks,” Rattray said.
“We are back there now, and I thought she worked well last weekend.”
The three-year-old daughter of Capt Midnight led all the way to win a combined two and three-year-old trial at Carrick Park by 31.9m.
“She will go pretty good,” said Rattray when asked what he expected from Friday’s race, where Jordan Chibnall will take the reins from a second-row draw.
Rattray also has Karalta Artemis drawn barrier one in race five, a 61 to 65 National Rating event over 2200m.
The Huntsville gelding has had two runs back from a spell for one win and a last-start second, and Rattray said keeping the gelding fresh appears to be the key.
“He is one of those horses I don’t think you need to work too much, and I don’t think you need to race him too much,” Rattray said.
“If you space his runs a little bit and get him there fresh, he runs reasonably well. I would have liked to have had three weeks between races, but the conditions of this race suited him well.”
The pacer will be driven by John Walters, who will take the reins for the Rattray-trained Miki Sanz in race one, a 45 to 49 National Rating race over 2200m, from inside the second row.
“He has drawn the fence so it gives him half a chance to run into the top four, so we will see how he goes.
Rattray will also turn his attention to Hobart on Sunday, where he rated Colby Sanz in race two as his best chance for the weekend.
He said the race looked suitable if the early tempo played in his favour, with Colby Sanz capable of settling close enough from the draw and being strong late.
Rattray will also have Jillstiger stepping out in the third race, the Meeker Fillies & Mares Pace (2090m), with the filly continuing her build-up towards the upcoming Bandbox series. He said she was a little bit first-up run and should get a suitable trail from barrier two.
