He might not be the most fashionable or talked about sprinter around the wider North West region, but lightly raced five-year-old Danza In The Dark is set to make a return statement at Tuesday's feature Tamworth meeting.
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Trained on the track by Stephen Meyer, Danza In The Dark hasn't started since charging home late in a deeper Benchmark 58 at Scone in mid-June.
Despite not officially trialling, which is typical of the stable approach, the big-striding gelding is a son of moderately performed Summa Cum Laude who never won a black-type race, and was going around more than 20 years ago when welters were still in existence.
But he's inherited plenty of that toughness and a shade of quality from his Danzero-sired dam, and has slowly built a tidy record ahead of his 13th start.
Danza In the Dark takes on a handy BM 58 Hcp over 1200m in the final race on a very open meeting which is likely to be hit by rain again sometime during the action.
Always sparingly raced, he's been placed twice in three fresh runs, and is capable of reeling off a spectacular final 400m, although in smart local mares Satin Ruby and Mook's Sister, and progressive first-up winner Majority, he'll have his hooves full.
Meanwhile, the home track assault can get an early boost when good quality four-year-old Beckford tackles a competitive Open Hcp field over the mile third-up.
After bolting in a weak BM 78 at Armidale, Beckford was even to the line in a stronger metropolitan race, and carrying half kilo less back at home, he looks well weighted for the Troy O'Neile stable.
And the local feast might not stop there.
Improving three-year-old Roussos looks a serious chance at his third start in a Maiden Plate (1200m) for the boys, with top country hoop Andrew Gibbons taking over; while progressive mare Invincible Fire looks one of the better bets at the meeting fourth-up in a Fillies and Mares Maiden Plate over the same trip.
