Champion jumps trainer Paul Nelson believes Nedwin is getting some well-deserved payback in today's $60,000 Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle at Te Rapa.
The Hurdle and Pakuranga Hunt Steeples are two of the north's great jumping races and now find themselves at Te Rapa as Ellerslie is not only closed for the next year but jumps racing there is finished.
That hasn't detracted from the field though, with today's meeting attracting five jumping races and 13 horses in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup, one of the largest open steeplechase fields in New Zealand in years.
Nelson has runners in four of the five jumping races but the best treated looks to be Nedwin, who is favourite for the hurdle after a luxurious drop in weight from when he won the Wellington Hurdle last start.
He carried the 69kg topweight that day and bolted in by 10 lengths yet today starts in another open hurdle reverting to the 65kg minimum, meaning after winning an open hurdle last start he is on the same weight as some maiden hurdlers.