The news is good for fans of champion New Zealand pacer Lazarus — not so good for his rivals.
The Inter Dominion champion has thrilled trainer Mark Purdon with how he has recovered from the hoof problems that threatened to ruin his A$1.5 million summer and says he is confident the Hunter Cup is back on the agenda.
Lazarus threw feature race markets into chaos when Purdon revealed on Sunday the great pacer was tender in his hooves after a jaw-dropping second in last Friday night's Fremantle Cup after being three wide.
But after just three days off Lazarus has shown enormous improvement and Purdon was able to jog him in Perth yesterday morning.
He will however miss tomorrow night's WA Cup as will stablemate Ultimate Machete. Have Faith In Me (barrier four) will be the New Zealand rep in the Cup.