Courage Under Fire is about to experience a forgotten feeling - speed.
The champion New Zealand pacer will tomorrow have his first hoppled workout since his dramatic Interdominion failure on February 12.
The little hero left Moonee Valley that night bound for new trainer Brian Hancock's stables and has been in cotton wool ever since.
A week after arriving at Hancocks he had a large chunk of his troublesome front hoof cut away and spent over two months in the spelling paddock.
But after two months of slow jogging the hoof is fully recovered and Courage Under Fire is ready to get back to work.
"He looks absolutely great so he can have the hopples on for the first time on Wednesday," said Hancock stable foreman Mark Tracey.
"While he hasn't grown any taller he is a lot thicker in the neck and shoulder than when he arrived.
"Back then he still looked a little weedy but now he looks more like a stallion."
Courage Under Fire will be allowed to stride out tomorrow in what will be his first time in hopples since the Interdoms.
Tracey says the champ will be at the trials at the end of next month.
"Then it will be off to the races in September to get ready for the Grand Circuit."
While Hancock is the undisputed King of the Interdominions, Tracey admits there is pressure on the stable.
"He [Courage Under Fire] has come to us with a great record and everybody would love to see him go on with that," he said.
Hancock himself won't even see Courage Under Fire's first hoppled training in his care because he is holidaying on the Gold Coast.
The break could not have come at a better time as the champion reinsman copped an eight week suspension at Harold Park last Friday night.
The hefty sentence was handed down after he hit five markers in the home straight when squeezing former Kiwi pacer My Call through a tight gap to win the first race.
My Call was disqualified but Hancock will not appeal against the decision and his sentence.
"After all, Courage will not be racing in that eight weeks so Brian is not going to miss too much," said the stable foreman.
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The Franklin Trotting Club has left nominations for its meeting on Friday open until 10am today.
The club only received 99 nominations of the Alexandra Park meeting, which was enough for eight races.
"We have sponsors for 10 races and that is what we want to run so we have left the nominations open to attract more horses," said Franklin racing secretary Dave Fairlie.
The FTC is seeking nominations for a new race, a $2000 novice event over 2200m mobile.
The meeting will host the $70,000 Northern Hemisphere Time Sales Series Pace and a $100,000 Pick Six.
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The pool of stallion talent available to New Zealand breeders got even deeper yesterday.
Breeders are spolit for choice, with established stars In The Pocket and Holmes Hanover being challenged by newcomers like Presidential Ball and the frozen semen available from an incredible list of leading overseas-based stallions.
Now exciting US import Precious Bunny will provide another huge boost.
Often when stallions come to New Zealand stud officials try to convince breeders the newcomer is a champion.
In Precious Bunny's case there is no argument. He was good enough to record a 1:49.4 mile in a career in which he accumluated over $US2.2 million in stakes, winning the Meadowlands Pace, North America Cup, Little Brown Jug and Adios Pace, which are extremely serious races.
And he hasn't left all his ability of the track, siring the winners of over $US19million in stakes from just five crops, with 216 sub 2:00 performers.
He will arrive at Woodlands Stud in Clevedon in September before returning home for next breeding season.
Racing: Little champ getting down to serious work again
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