KEY POINTS:
Few horses compete effectively at the top level at 9 years of age.
Dave Haworth is hoping Jury's Out is one of those few when he steps out for his first race as a 9-year-old in tomorrow's $35,000 Dixon and Dunlop North Island Challenge Stakes at Trentham.
Jury's Out's trackwork suggests the Haworth team might be smiling after the race.
The horse the stable calls "one of the family" has a remarkable record when racing fresh from a spell.
He's had 13 starts in a fresh state for five wins and three placings.
"He looks really good and his work has been right up there," said Dave
Haworth yesterday.
"It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, he's got left for us."
Jury's Out, the winner of $346,355, has battled big weights for several seasons and is fortunate this time he has Bulginbaah to push the
weights down.
Bulginbaah has been given 60.5kg in a race that does not allow apprentice claims, forcing Jury's Out down to 57kg, a weight he
can be competitive at.
Hayden Tinsley has the mount on Jury's Out.
The 60.5kg for Bulginbaah looks prohibitive on paper, but consider he finished second to Mufhasa in a much stronger field at Hastings
two starts back under 59.5kg and it stacks up a little better.
He will have benefited from a short break from racing and it would be no
surprise to see him with his nose in front at the 150m.
Awapuni iron horse Ben Hogan performed well in stronger company than this at the recent Riccarton carnival and is a previous Trentham winner over tomorrow's distance.
The Haworth team will be looking for some compensation for Halls in the Totara Lodge Motor Inn Handicap earlier on the programme.
Halls did not get all the breaks in the New Zealand Cup last start, being held up for racing room at a critical stage and finishing on for
fifth.
Ration Point was much further back than Halls that day but usually produces a good run at Trentham.
