Mighty Connor has made good progress ahead of his debut on his home track at Matamata.
The well-related Sebring youngster won his latest trial last month and will make his first race day appearance in Wednesday's Retox Sports Bar & Tokoroa Cosmopolitan Club 1200m.
"He was a colt when I first trialled him on a heavy track and he floundered in the ground," part-owner and trainer Jacob McKay said.
"We gelded him after that, he was going through a growing stage so we tipped him out.
"I was pleased with his next trial at Taupo and then he won his last one. He's improved again since then and I'm really happy with him."
A $40,000 NZB Premier purchase from the Little Avondale draft, Mighty Connor's pedigree features the Gr.1
Diamond Stakes (1200m) winner Dal Cielo as he is from Stratum mare Kallisan, a daughter of Group III winner Eloa, who is a half-sister to Dal Cielo.
"He was one of two yearlings I bought at Karaka and syndicated," McKay said. "The other was Gallagher, who ran second first-up and was then a bit unlucky not to run in the first three at Taranaki," McKay said.
He finished fifth in the Gr.3 Phoenix Park 2YO Classic (1200m) and was turned out after running sixth in the Gr.3 Reid & Harrison Slipper (1200m).
Another promising younger member of the stable is Tavisan, who is raced by a Queensland-based syndication company.
"His owners are Ontrack Thoroughbreds and I do their breaking-in and pre-training in New Zealand," McKay said.
"He's going to make a grouse three-year-old and the plan has always been that he'd go to Mick Price in Melbourne so I'll have to talk to the owners about him."
Tavisan has raced three times and finished fifth in the Reid & Harrison Slipper before he was unplaced in Saturday's Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m).
"He might have been only seventh, but it was still a good run," McKay said. – NZ Racing Desk.
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