Yaldhurst trainer Mark Purdon knows Cool Hand Luke has what it takes to qualify for November's Canterbury Draught New Zealand Cup and wants to get the deal done as soon as possible.
Cool Hand Luke gets an ideal opportunity to deliver first-up when the top pacers resume at Addington tonight.
"If it's there, we'll take it," Purdon said.
"He seems good. He's just had the one trial and is the type of horse that will perform fresh," he said.
Purdon's other New Zealand Cup hopefuls, Bogan Fella and Cigar, are both progressing well and are scheduled to trial again next week.
Cool Hand Luke, last season's Four-Year-Old Pacer of the Year, has always had a touch of class.
The Holmes Hanover half-brother to former good Victorian winner Ole Black Magic was secured privately by Purdon as a two-year-old after showing promise for Murray Edmonds.
At only his seventh career start, he won a Victoria Derby heat in Melbourne, but then had to bypass other Derby races.
"I thought he should have won his Victoria Derby Heat by five lengths. I thought he wasn't trying, but then we found a wind problem."
Purdon said it was the best thing he ever did getting the respiratory problem sourced and promptly remedied.
Cool Hand Luke continued to make fast progress last season, winning six of 12 starts, including four of his last five, including the Taylor Mile at Auckland in 1:55.6.
The C7 and faster More FM Mobile Pace acts as a dress rehearsal for next Friday's $20,000 Avon City Ford Cup, and although only seven go to the post, don't expect a tame affair.
Another big four-year-old improver from last term in Makati Galahad is primed for a bold return after winning back-to-back Ashburton trials, as is established Grand Circuit star Happy Asset, who was placed in both a trial and workout last week.
Weedons trainer Fred Fletcher thinks Makati Galahad is back to the fine autumn form which resulted in the Tyler's Best gelding winning nine of his 10 Addington starts, and he looks the biggest danger to Cool Hand Luke.
Also in the mix are visiting c8 Clevedon pacer Mike's Pal, and last season's Wellington Cup winner, Panky's Pacer (c7), who both need qualifying wins for November's New Zealand Cup.
Mike's Pal, trained by Purdon's brother Barry, and stablemate Alert Motoring, who is using tonight's c3-5 Back To Bed Mobile pace as a lead-up to next Friday's Nevele R Superstars Championship, arrived in Canterbury on Tuesday morning.
Alert Motoring, like Mike's Pal, raced by the Robert Reid Syndicate, is quickly making a name for himself.
The New York Motoring gelding has won four of only seven career starts. He resumed after a 10-month break, rating a smart 1:57.2 over 1700m to beat Grand Canyon in a c1-3 pace at Auckland on August 9, and is drawn to advantage in the 1950m second leg of the TAB double.
- NZPA
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