Wairarapa trainer Alby MacGregor has enjoyed spending time in Canterbury with his family over the Christmas period and he is hoping for a leaving gift at Phar Lap Raceway on Thursday prior to his trip back north.

MacGregor’s stable star Times Ticking has been ticking along nicely since his fourth placed effort behind Puntura in last month’s Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) at Riccarton.

He headed back to the Christchurch venue last week for a 1200m trial on the synthetic track to ready for this week’s assignment and MacGregor was pleased with what he saw.

“I have been down here for about a month, it’s been great to spend some time with family. They enjoy racing and my son has his owner-trainer license, and he has got a few about him now,” MacGregor said.

“He (Times Ticking) has done so well (since the Coupland’s) and that is why we took him to the trial because he had done a bit too well.

“He just had a quiet trial, but he went well on the polytrack.”

The eight-year-old gelding will line-up in the Craigmore Sustainable Holdings Timaru Heritage Cup (1600m) on Thursday where he has been assigned top weight of 62kg and gate 11 in the 15-horse field.

MacGregor has secured the services of three-kilogram claiming apprentice Denby-Rose Tait, bringing his allotted weight down to 59kg, 1kg less than race rival Perfect Scenario.

“It will be good to get some weight off his back,” MacGregor said.

“It is not a bad field but nothing like they have got up north. Perfect Scenario and a few others will be tough to beat.”

MacGregor is hoping Tait can find a somewhat handy position from their wide gate, with MacGregor heeding the warnings of local trainers.

“If he can race midfield that would be nice,” he said.

“I don’t know the track at all, but they tell me you don’t want to be too far out of it as you are making a move.”

While MacGregor is set to return home, Times Ticking will remain down south, with a final southern stakes assignment on the cards before he reunites with his handler.

“I am coming back up but the horse will stay down,” MacGregor said. “He thrives down here, he loves it down here.

“There is the White Robe Lodge (Gr.3, 1600m) and that is weight-for-age in early February.”

While he won’t return home with his pride and joy, MacGregor said there is some young stock awaiting his return that he is looking forward to spending some time with.

“I have got a yearling at home a mate and I bred by Vadamos and we might have a look at him and play about,” he said.