Rangataua Ray showed he had maintained his fitness for the Kurow Cup on Sunday with a win at the Washdyke trials yesterday.
Rangataua Ray beat his only rival, Born Lucky, by a nose after conceding him 30m at the start.
The 2600m was run in a pedestrian 3.38.9 (a 2.15.4 mile rate), the last 800m in 59.9 and the final 400m in 29.1.
Rangataua Ray finished third to Fake Chance and Band On The Run at his last start over 2600m (mobile) at Addington on July 8.
The Armbro Operative 6yr-old has not finished further back than third in his last seven starts.
He has had nine wins and 16 placings from 41 starts.
Rangataua Ray will start from 40m in the $15,000 Kurow Cup, a 3-8win discretionary over 2600m.
He has one horse behind him, Niraadi, who is off 50m.
Frown qualified as a trotter yesterday when he won a qualifying test by 50 lengths.
He is a 4yr-old by Dr Ronerail from Lexx, trained by Colin Harrison.
The name Frown recalls an earlier pacer of that name.
Frown won nine races in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The son of Dillon Hall and Smiler won four races for Jim Flynn, including the 1958 Gore Cup in the hands of Doug McNaught.
He joined the Duntroon stable of Stewart Sutherland as a 6yr-old, recording two wins at Forbury Park in January 1960.
He won three races the next season, including a win over Robert Dillon at the inaugural night meeting at Forbury Park in January 1961.
Among the beaten division that night were Arania, Sun Chief, Thunder and Lookaway.
As an 8yr-old, he finished second to Master Alan in the 1963 Easter Cup at Addington and also finished second to Lordship at the same meeting.
He finished second to Samantha on the second night of the Wellington Cup meeting in 1963.
Samantha had won the Wellington Cup on the first night of the meeting.
Milton standardbred trainer Lyndon Durham extended a fine record when Miyabi won her first start at Ascot Park last Sunday.
Durham (32), who holds a licence to train, has had four horses to the races and three have won.
Durham has his first success in December 2001 with Chance A Knight at Gore.
The Tuapeka Knight-Chancealon gelding was having his third start for Durham.
Durham prepared War George to win at his first start in January 2006 at Forbury Park.
Miyabi, by Washington VC, was bred by Syd and Shona Brown of Mosgiel.
Her dam, Wakana, has left Mika (three wins) and the winner Black Eagle.
Miyabi was purchased at the New Zealand Yearling Sale by Marianne-Morrison Palmer, who races the 5yr-old mare with her husband Peter Palmer.
Durham, who works on a dairy farm at Milton owned by the Morrison-Palmers, took over the training of the mare when the Morrison- Palmers went on holiday.
Marianne, who also holds a licence to train, had jogged the mare up.
Miyabi had three starts at trials for Brian Norman as a 2yr-old but was put aside in 2008 after hitting a knee.
Carl Hanna, the Invercargill junior driver who drove Miyabi last Sunday, had driven the horse in a trial for Norman.
Durham, who is expanding his team, has five horses in work.
He expects to add to his tally when Bleach, whom he holds in some regard, resumes racing.
Miyabi will seek to extend her record at the Kurow meeting at Oamaru on Sunday.
Roses In May, winner of nine races for Herbert owner-trainer-breeder Dave Harris, has been sold to Australia.
