Sue Thompson-Brown will look to put a "total nightmare" behind her when she saddles Designated Driver for Saturday's Listed NZB Finance Sprint (1200m) at Hastings.
Thompson-Brown and her training partner Mick Brown thought the sky was the limit with their Danroad mare after she ran a fast-finishing second to Sacred Star in last year's Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham.
However, everything that could go wrong with the mare since then has, leaving the couple with a lingering headache.
"It's been a total nightmare. After she ran second in the Telegraph last year, she ended up with very sore feet," Thompson-Brown said.
"She was sore for a long time and she didn't come up as well as she should have when we brought her back. It took us five months to get her feet right.
"At her third run back, she ran a better race [for fourth] at Palmerston North, but she also got 18 stitches in a back leg. She was clear of any other horse so she had to have done it coming out of the gates."
The trainers gave her a month off to allow the injury to heal and were ready to get her back into full training when there were further complications arising from the injury, resulting in further time off.
Designated Driver returned to the racetrack in last month's Listed Lightning Handicap at Trentham, but got too far back in a race won off the front by Passing Shot, again a rival at Hastings this weekend.
In one start since, Designated Driver was running home nicely for sixth in the Listed Flying Handicap (1400m) at Awapuni a fortnight ago.
However, while Thompson-Brown is thrilled with her mare, she is wary of her terrible record on her home track, where she has beaten just five runners in three starts.
"She never goes any good at Hastings. She can't even win a jump-out here," Thompson-Brown quipped.
"She's got the blinkers on to try and get her on the bridle and we'll try and ride her a bit handier than usual. She's in the right condition for her to be competitive."
Safely through Saturday's race and satisfied with her performance, Thompson-Brown said Designated Driver would head north to tackle the Listed Rotorua Stakes (1400m) for fillies and mares on May 14.
"That's her main aim and she goes on any ground - that's the beauty of her," she said.
