KEY POINTS:
Watch out for a much improved Pembrook Benny when the exciting pacing colt returns to racing at Alexandra Park tonight.
The 3-year-old was one of harness racing's hype horses in the spring but was put aside without contesting a major race because his connections believed he needed time to develop.
Now he is back being aimed at next month's $200,000 Great Northern Derby and co-trainer Scott Phelan said patience had paid dividends,
"He is definitely bigger and stronger than last campaign," said Phelan, who trains Pembrook Benny in partnership with Barry Purdon.
"We are very happy with how he has come up."
Pembrook Benny won his first three races for the pair after being purchased from the stable of Canterbury trainer Nigel McGrath.
He then finished third in a Sires' Stakes heat at Cambridge before his spell and his two most recent work-outs suggest he will be hard to beat tonight.
He won his first workout this campaign then sat parked out and paced his last 800m in a smart 56 seconds when finishing second to Anescape at the Alexandra Park workouts last Tuesday.
Phelan said while the son of Courage Under Fire was ready, he would be an improver with racing.
"His aim is the Derby so obviously he isn't screwed down yet," Phelan said.
"But he is well enough to go very close. He has that much speed he might just be too quick for them."
Phelan said Pembrook Benny had developed mentally, getting away from a tendency last campaign to wait for opponents to come after him.
"His problem was, a couple of times, he was winning so easily he waited for them but he seems more grown up now."
He will need to be as he meets some talented, race fit mares like Top Tempo, Cruzin Foralivin and Running On Faith.
Cruzin Foralivin clocked 2min 42secs for 2200m when sitting parked and beating Lizzie Maguire last Friday and won't need to go much quicker to threaten tomorrow.
Running On Faith was a huge third behind Justa Tiger on the same programme and may not be too disadvantaged by her second line draw as she has the toughness to work hard in her races.
Top Tempo is expected to be fitter than she was last Friday and looms as a danger.
In race seven tonight high class trotters Extasia and Cameron Jake clash, with the former getting close to her best form.
If she does things right Extasia can prevail but the latter tends to have the better manners and beat some open class trotters when winning out of his grade at Cambridge.
- NZPA
