New Plymouth trainer Jeff Bliss is optimistic his honest mare Hotshot Lass can bounce back to her true form on her home track today.
He has enjoyed a satisfying campaign with the six-year-old, who had a genuine excuse for her last-start failure in the Group Three Taranaki Breeders' Stakes.
"She didn't go so well at Hawera, but she had a bit of colic after the race," said Bliss, who part-owns the daughter of Mettre En Jeu.
"She had been pretty consistent before that and she's good again now so I think she should go very well again."
Hotshot Lass will attempt to improve her record when she runs in the Life Education Trust Handicap.
