The Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal-trained pair of The Cossack and Suliman will make their much-anticipated return to racing in the John Turkington Forestry/Waipine Logging Bulls Country Cup (2200m) at Trentham on Saturday. 

The Cossack has been off the scene since injuring a suspensory ligament when preparing to clash with archrival West Coast in last year’s Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) at Riccarton. 

The 11-year-old gelding has undergone a rigorous rehabilitation programme and his trainers have been pleased with his progress. 

“We spelled him for a while and then he went down to Grant and Nikki Cullen in Dannevirke, and they worked him on their treadmill,” Nelson said.  

“He came back mid-March and he has done everything we have asked him to do. He has had a couple of jumpouts, he had a jumpout on Tuesday and went nicely. We can’t do much more, we have just got to get a bit of racing into him now. 

“He seems to like himself at the moment, so I imagine that is a good sign.” 

All going to plan after Saturday, Nelson said his first major aim with be the Signature Homes Waikato Steeplechase (3900m) at Te Rapa on June 14, a race he has won on two prior occasions. 

“He will have this run and he will probably have one more flat run, and we will get him to the Waikato Steeples,” Nelson said. 

The Grand National Festival of Racing doesn’t hold fond memories for the stable, with stablemate Suliman’s career also hitting a snag at the carnival, having last raced in the Grand National Hurdles (4200m) two years ago. 

“He went down to Christchurch for the National before last and he bled,” Nelson said. “We had him back and then he did a tendon at the beginning of last year, so he missed all of last year.” 

Nelson has been pleased with the way the 11-year-old son of Redwood has returned this year, and he was particularly impressed with his jumpout on Tuesday where he was just pipped by stablemate Nedwin, while he beat The Cossack by half a length. 

“He jumped out well on Tuesday and went very well,” Nelson said. “I thought he might have been a bit behind Nedwin and The Cossack, but he finished right with them, so I was very happy.” 

The pair will be joined in their race by Nedwin, who will carry top weight of 60kg. 

“He will go chasing a bit and later on he might have a hurdle race,” Nelson said. 

While he believes he has the horsepower to campaign a couple of horses across the Tasman, Nelson is keen on backing the resurgence of jumps racing in New Zealand and ensure there is a future for the sport he loves. 

“Our stakes are now very good and I think that we really need to be supporting New Zealand jumps racing and making sure that we have got a product that will keep us going,” he said.