The 4yr-old turned up to race at Omakau on Saturday with his brief racing history looking chequered, to say the least.
He had one start exactly 365 days earlier at the 2014 edition of the Central Otago Racing Club's holiday meeting, but it ended with a last placing in a field of 12 and a warning placed on his racing manners.
Winton trainer Sophie Price was keen to persevere, though.
''He's come along in leaps and bounds, really,'' Price said.
''He's a very nervous horse. We put a tongue tie and and a hood on him about four weeks ago and it seems to have done him good.
''He had one trial the other day after Gore and won by 10 lengths so I was pretty confident.''
The problems for Dermott Brown are in his head and around it as well.
''We're just trying to keep his head down, really. I might give him a couple of weeks off now and just let him cool down.''
Ascot Park trainer Jo-Ann Gordon also had to go back to the drawing board - although in her case, it was working out which horse to aim at the Clare Memorial Gold Cup.
Mr Nobody ended up as the representative for Gordon and her father, Jack, in the rating 85 2700m and it proved to be an inspired choice as the son of Duelled won a tight tussle with a late bid on the outside.
''We were hoping to win it this year with No Rosettes for Jim Mee, but we've had a bit of trouble with her and she wasn't ready to go for the 2700m, so we put him in instead,'' Gordon said.
The 7yr-old was destined to specialise in jumping, but a win in an amateur race with breeder and part-owner Michelle Northcott in the saddle changed the approach.
''We decided to have a crack through the summer at the country cups,'' she said.
''He's by Duelled and he really seems to have come good with a bit of age. He's finally learned how to race and he wants to win now. He's a very relaxed sort of horse so it's taken him a while to work it out.''
Gordon said the Gore Cup over 2000m later this month could be an option.
Northcott and Rogerson are joined in the ownership by the Vino and Punters Syndicate.
Failed sale a blessingA sale to Malaysia that fell through does not seem to have worried Vanquished or his West Melton co-trainer, Tony Prendergast.
The D'Cash gelding took over at the 200m to win a 1400m maiden in style despite carrying a problem that ended the negotiations to sell the 4yr-old.''
He won a 2yr-old trial and we had him sold to Malaysia but he had a bone chip on his fetlock - the bone chip's still there,'' Prendergast said.
Vanquished had four starts on rain-affected tracks in autumn and winter of last year, but seems to prefer being on top of the ground.
''He actually came back in really light on condition - it's taken a long time to get a bit of weight on him. But we've started to get a bit on him now.''
Jake Lowry's good association with Valiant continued when the Brian and Shane Anderton-trained gelding won the Central Otago Country Cup over 1100m.
Lowry, the grandson of Brian Anderton, has now won three times on the smart sprinter.
''He's just got to get opportunities,'' Anderton said of Lowry.
''Don't forget he hadn't ridden until he was 14 and he's only 16 now. He's doing well.''
