Not many learned followers of the Forbury Park harness meetings would have been surprised to see He's Talking step away in race 5 last night like a veteran.
The 4yr old is yet another pacer from Kevin Court's stable to show impeccable manners, despite drawing on the markers for the 2200m pace last night in his race night debut.
Court told the audience at the Otago harness awards earlier this month about his training methods on the hills above Opoho and the finished product is usually a well mannered horse - no matter the age.
The son of Bettor's Delight proved no different to his siblings out of Sweet Talking Doll, or the progeny of Who's The Bird - Kevin and Patricia Court's other productive broodmare - stepping well and heading straight to the lead to win by 3 lengths.
''He's always been all right,'' Court said.
''He was quite good as a 2yr old but he never really grew much - he was quite a small sort of a horse. We just qualified him, turned him out and brought him back again and he seems a lot better this time and a lot stronger.''
The win meant a lot to the Courts and to driver Jonny Cox, a good friend of the Courts' late son, Ryan.
''That was the last one he broke in - that was his horse.''
Jules Manzoni is another horse who has improved with time, his trainer, Amber Hoffman says.
''He's a work in progress. He's going to the paddock now. He's going to be better in another 12 months yet. He's grown so much in the last six months. He got quite crook as a young horse - we couldn't get rid of a cold.''
Hoffman praised veterinarian Pete Gillespie for the good work in getting the gelding back to full strength.
The son of Rocknroll Hanover certainly looked like a healthy horse last night, sitting parked for the last lap in the hands of driver Blair Orange, who opened the card with a win on Blink and won the last with Westburn Jewel for Court's cousin, Ivan Court.
''I knew he was good enough but he's still quite dumb. I said to Blair to look after him because he doesn't know anything and he did that,'' Hoffman said.
''He said every time he asked him, he had a little bit more left, so he'll get better with a bit more time.''
Bobbins looks like a trotting mare with a bright future after her win in the c1 c2 2200m mobile trot.
''She's got a bit of class about her and she's slowly getting a bit of ringcraft,'' her Riversdale trainer, Tony Stratford, said.
''She's still 12 months away but in time she'll be quite a nice horse.''
Bobbins had not faced a mobile barrier on race night before, which gave Stratford some cause for concern prior to the race.
''I was a wee bit worried she might get a bit fired up but at the end of the day we came here more for the 2200m fresh up, racing one to two win horses only, and we would cop a mobile if that's what it is.''
Stratford planned to line up Bobbins at Oamaru on September 13, but her win might change the plans as she is no longer eligible for the race he had in mind.
''We'll let the dust settle and see where we go from there.''
