Inferno will strip nice and fit for her attempt at a third straight Canterbury Gold Cup at Riccarton tomorrow.
The daughter of Yamanin Vital has produced the goods in the group 3 2000m feature in 2011 and 2012 and her Wingatui co-trainer Shane Anderton said she has not been short of exercise leading up to the $100,000 weight-for-age feature.
''She's got through a fair bit of work but she's fit and ready to go,'' Anderton said.
Inferno faded to 10th in the Riverton Cup on March 30, but Anderton suggested she still had a bit of condition left on her after racing three weeks earlier.
''She probably had done a bit too well between runs, I think,'' Shane Anderton said.
''She raced up to them, and then came to the end of it, but she's trained on since then.
''We're going back to see if we can do it three times - but it won't be easy.''
Inferno was at $26 in the fixed odds market yesterday, while fellow Otago mare The Solitaire was one of the favourites, opening at $6.50. Shuka, trained by former Riccarton conditioners Peter and Dawn Williams, was installed as a $3.80 favourite.
Shane and his father, Brian, are taking four other horses north, including Blue 'N' Gold, who has won two of her last three starts and will take her place in a $15,000 rating 75 200m.
''She's been racing well and deserves a go at a good race - she's fit and ready to go,'' Anderton said.
Gold Leaf (race 3) may find jockey Shankar Muniandy giving him some reminders on his left-hand side.
''He's been racing well but he's probably beaten himself in the last couple [of races] as he's been laying in,'' Anderton said.
''Shankar might put the whip in the left hand to straighten him up.''
Anderton reported Tommy Tucker (race 7) had done well since his sixth at Riverton, while Norah (race 7) is a doubtful starter after pulling up tender in one leg this week.
