The John Parsons-trained pacer was greeted with a heavy track at Motukarara on December 29, but overcame the track and a lack of match fitness to down Jerry Garcia, 625 days since running third at Addington in April 2012.
''To come out after that long off and win was a good effort, especially in those conditions,'' Ottley said.
''I don't know if you could say any part of the track was good, but he kept coming all the way down the straight and the other two [inside] got a bit more tired towards the end.''
Chaff Muncha started 20m behind Jerry Garcia at Motukarara, and thanks to Jerry Garcia winning at Oamaru last week, Chaff Muncha will be off the same 20m handicap as the grass-track specialist tomorrow.
But it is not a two-horse affair in the Oamaru Cup. Comply Or Die, who starts off the back mark of 40m, was a last-start winner in the Roxburgh Cup, while Graduate Under Fire is a likely early leader with his excellent standing start manners.
''It's not a bad field. There are a few nice ones in it, so he's going to need a bit of luck,'' Ottley said.
''He's a nice horse and he's probably still getting up to fitness.''
Wishes Star (race 6) is Ottley's drive in the junior drivers' trot, and she hopes his manners will give him every chance against some classy younger rivals.
''He's usually got really good manners which gets you money in trotting races,'' she said.
''The Phil Williamson runners [Marseilles and Johns Anne] are hard to beat, but hopefully he can jump away and be handy early. The shorter trip will suit him and he's won on the grass before.''
''She had to do too much work but she's really honest.
''The form before that was really good so if the race panned out and she got a good run, she'll go near enough. In saying that, it's a really good field - anything could win that.''
Ottley also has drives behind Tartan Trilogy (race 3), Infrequently (race 4) and Maybe Foxy (race 10).
A win or two tomorrow could cap off a great week for Ottley after her 99 points in junior drivers' races this season ensured she will be packing her bags for Sydney next month for the Australasian junior drivers championships.
The series will be run over 10 heats around New South Wales. The final heat is to be run on the Interdominion grand final day, at Menangle, on March 2. Three drivers from New Zealand will represent the country against Australia's best - a North Island driver, a South Island driver, and the driver with the best strike rate in junior drivers' races.
''I got the call the other day to tell me that I've made it.
''The points finish on January 31 and they said no-one can catch me down here [in the South Island].
''My goal was just to drive as many winners as I can, but it's a really big highlight to make something like that.''
There will be plenty of attention in the direction of Mach's Love in the opening race. The Mach Three filly is a half-sister to the all-conquering Terror To Love and qualified at Ashburton in January last year. She has placed third in two trials this month, leading up to tomorrow's assignment.
