He’s back and ready to make a statement

A harness racing driver in white-hot form will be coming in “cold” in Saturday night’s $150,000 Breeders Challenge finals at Tabcorp Park Menangle.

Yet former Kiwi Jack Trainor has still found himself very much in demand with seven drives on the 10-race program, including his favourite filly Anntonia in the three-year-old fillies final of the Breeders Challenge.

Trainor has endured a couple of sidelines stints courtesy of the stewards and has only been driving two of the past nine weeks yet maintains equal third spot in the statewide premiership with 122 winners, 32 adrift of the front-runner Cameron Hart.

Obviously, the layoff has been frustrating for Trainor, who admits he’d much prefer to be out there competing.

“I’m not the best grandstand driver, but I’ve been fortunate to be able to put the best drivers around on at the click of my fingers,” Trainor said.

“But I’ve always preferred driving and have been that way since I was a young age.”

Trainor is champing at the bit to renew his association with Anntonia in Saturday night’s feature.

“It’s pretty humbling to have someone of the calibre of Luke McCarthy warming the seat behind Anntonia until I could get back in action,” he said.

“I have to give a lot of the credit to David Thorn and the owners of Anntonia for sticking by me for this horse.

“We came off the track when she raced at Penrith and it was the first time both David and I were not completely happy with the way she raced.

“Full credit to him because he went away and worked on a few things with her and she showed signs of being close to her best in her semi-final win last weekend.

“She should be even better on Saturday night.”

Trainor said the final did shape as a race in two between Anntonia and the very much in-form Chrissy Chic.

“I guess we won the first battle when we got the better draw as we’re inside her in gate three,” he said.

“Anntonia is starting to come out of the gate really well now and I do expect her to be right on the pace again.

“Last year we just fell short in the two-year-olds’ final but she went on and won a couple of Group 1s after that.

“Hopefully we can go one better this year.”

Trainor will also partner $51 outsider Rocket Boy in the two-year-old colts and geldings final.

To view the fields for Menangle on Saturday night click here.

By Michael Court for HRNSW