Scottish shearer and Taranaki farmer Gavin Mutch was confident, but not making predictions on the eve of his second attempt on the world eight-hour lamb shearing record, near Stratford tomorrow.
The 30-year-old is targeting the record of 736, shorn near Rotorua 12 months ago by Irishman Ivan Scott, the first overseas shearer to set a solo shearing record in New Zealand.
Christchurch-based Scott broke the 731 set in December 2002 by Justin Bell, now farming in southern Hawke's Bay.
A few days before Scott's success, Mutch abandoned his first attempt at the record with 542 lambs shorn in six hours, the target moving out of range as his condition deteriorated.
His crew's encouragement convinced him quickly that he should have another go, and he said from his home today: "Last year was a great learning curve, it wasn't a bad experience".
His determination has been shown by his absence from competitions this season - he said he made the decision to focus only on the record after making a one-day trip to the Poverty Bay Show in Gisborne in October, from the farm he and wife Pip lease from her family at Kohuratahi, near the Taranaki-Taumarunui road.
He stepped up the cycling and running around the hills, but has also had a solid run of shearing to prepare him for the record bid, which will be on open-faced romneys.
Mutch's first job will be to keep pace with Scott's tallies of 187, 185, 179 and 180 over the four two-runs into which the day is divided under World Sheep Shearing Records Society rules, which has appointed three judges to oversee the quality of the shearing, one from South Africa.
The first run is from 7.30am-9.30am, the second 10am-noon, the third 1pm-3pm, and the last 3.30pm-5.30pm.
"As long as I get a decent enough start I'll be happy. I'm not one of those stupid people who say they're going to go for 200 in the first run, and then don't do it," Mutch said.
The attempt is the first of three record bids so far registered with the society.
Far North shearer Matt Smith has nominated January 15 for an attempt on the world eight-hour ewes record of 560 at Waitara Station, between Napier and Taupo, and Te Kuiti shearer Stacey Te Huia is set to tackle the same record four days later, near Bennydale in the King Country.