Lightly-tried 5-year-old Nelson Park is expected to give a bold account of himself when he kicks off his spring campaign at Ruakaka today.
A two-time Premier meeting winner last preparation, the strapping son of Iffraaj will resume in the A'Fare Caterers Handicap.
"He's one of those horses that you don't mind getting up in the mornings for," Byerley Park trainer Shane Hapeta said.
"What he did last time around did us all proud - he had been up for 11 months even though he only had eight races.
"He's a big horse and we were trying to get his head right, he wanted to bolt in his slow work all the time so we changed a few things around and a different routine has worked for him."