Winton trainer Trevor Proctor can not say with any confidence that the 5yr-old will step away cleanly in the 2400m handicap
so he is ready for absolutely anything.
"The standing start is a big "if", he said.
"I gave her four stands on Tuesday and she didn't go away in one of them. Then I put the [hopple-shortener] pins in her and only pulled them up three holes and she pinged out like she meant it on Thursday. It is just hit and hope."
Tact Maggie has scored once in a standing-start race from five attempts.
It will be Canterbury junior driver John Morrison's task to help step the Lis Mara pacer step cleanly from the 10m mark.
A family connection between Proctor, his partner and co-owner Diane Dynes, and Morrison would make for a special win if Tact Maggie is able to score.
"We have got young Johnny Morrison on him, which is quite special.
"He is family.
"I have always been quite keen to give him a drive on this mare, but it just hadn't worked out until now.
Tact Maggie faces a massive drop in class from some of her recent racing.
She took on Dream About Me in the group 1 New Zealand Standardbred Breeders' Stakes three starts ago and clashed with rising star Henry Hubert in her last start in the group 3 Northern Southland Cup.
Tact Maggie has won two workouts since her last-start sixth.
"She just about dead-heated with Franco Santino at the workouts last time.
"Brent Barclay was on her that time and he said she hadn't felt like that for a long time. Her workouts have been quite impressive. Hopefully she will turn up on Saturday feeling like that."
Between her recent group races, Tact Maggie clashed with some of the rivals she meets today when running sixth behind Robyns Playboy
at Invercargill on March 3. Vintage Cheddar and Please Shuddup beat her home that day and have both won races since.
Please Shuddup's stablemate, Mighty Flying Art, adds interest to today's race. The Murray Brown-trained colt will have his first standing start in the 2400m handicap.
