By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk
Veteran horseman Murray Pash will have his first drive in three years when he hops in the cart behind Jazelle in the Recreation Hotel Inangahua-Grey Valley Cup (2500m) at Reefton on Sunday.
Pash has opted to make a return to the sulky to try and quell any nerves the five-year-old mare may have ahead of her first standing start test.
“I have been giving her a bit of practice at home and she has got a few wee problems that you have got to be right on top of with her, so I thought with it being her first standing start I would have a go and hope she doesn’t make a mistake,” Pash said.
“I used to do all my own driving, but after I had a tip out here (West Coast) I was out of action for about eight months from driving and since then I have concentrated on getting them ready and getting someone else onboard.”
Pash will be hoping Jazelle can continue her purple patch of form, having won two of her last three starts, including victory fresh-up at Westport on Friday.
“She is going very well and getting very well driven too,” Pash said.
“I thought she would improve with the run (on Friday) and I hope she has because she is in a tougher field tomorrow.
“She pulled up well after the race, ate everything up last night and was as bright as a button this morning.”
Pash will also line-up Pembrook Tilly in the Floorpride Rangiora Superstore Pace (2500m) and he is hoping for another good showing after her third placing on Friday.
“She just got held up, but she ran home nicely,” Pash said. “She hadn’t raced in a while and only had the one trial, so hopefully she improves that bit more with the good draw (2) she has tomorrow.”
Pash is hoping for another good day of results on Sunday, particularly with a large contingent of his stable owners making the trip across to the West Coast.
“It is good for the owners,” he said. “All of my owners were happy yesterday, there were a whole lot of them. It was good to have them here with both of the horses going well.
“Hopefully we can do the job again tomorrow for them.”