KEY POINTS:
For Philippa Wakelin the hardest part was getting her two favourite horses to Alexandra Park.
Now all they need is a little luck to make the trip worthwhile.
Wakelin and her fiance Stephen Noble train Awesome Imace and Sun Lad, the half-brothers who will have plenty of support in their respective trotting races tonight.
Both are exciting young trotters preparing for greater things - Awesome Imace on trial for the Rowe Cup while Sun Lad's aim is the Northern Trotting Derby.
And while getting a shot at the big time is a dream come true for Wakelin, the trainer-driver admits having two horses good enough to even make this trip is something special.
"We are just battling trainers without really big owners," says the 35-year-old.
"We work hard and hope to get one good horse - so to have two like this is really exciting."
That excitement was tempered this season when Awesome Imace, one of the best 3-year-old trotters of last season, lost form when suffering back spasms.
"They took a lot of massaging and laser treatment to get right and that forced us to miss the big 4-year-old race at Addington last start and took on something easier to get his confidence back.
"But the way he won that night I think he is back to his best."
Awesome Imace's performance at Addington on April 7 was almost as impressive as Galleons Assassin winning the feature trot earlier in the night, suggesting he is nearing the form that saw him push the latter close twice at Alexandra Park last season.
Which suggests he can beat the older trotters in tonight's $12,000 Giltrap Toyota Trot.
The field contains few in-form opponents - with the obvious exception of Romper Stomper - and if Awesome Imace does produce his best he could secure a crack at the $150,000 Rowe on May 5.
"We are not scared of having a go at the Rowe Cup if we get the chance," said Wakelin.
While Awesome Imace handled Alexandra Park's right-handed track with ease last season, Sun Lad is somewhat more of a mystery package when he makes his northern debut in race nine.
"It is a bit of an unknown," admits Wakelin. "But he is not far behind Awesome Imace at this time last season and maybe has a bit more bottom to him."
Sun Lad is one of four class 3-year-old trotters in race nine and will taken an enormous amount of beating if he handles the track.
And while Wakelin wasn't here to pilot Awesome Imace last season, she is no stranger to Alexandra Park.
"I used to work for Mike Berger and actually qualified Facta Non Verba for him. And I have driven a couple of winners up here, including one called Ryan's Day in a heat of the junior driver's champs."
But while she used to be a North Islander there is no doubting her red and black allegiance these days.
"We are here to kick some North Island butt," she jokes.
