A nail may have scuppered her early summer targets, but Taranaki mare Hi Yo Sass Bomb is back on track and thriving ahead of her resuming run in Saturday’s Gr.2 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham.

The seven-year-old daughter of Complacent was in red-hot form over spring, winning the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Gr.3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) in October.

Trainer and part-owner Kim Reid then set her sights towards elite-level targets, eyeing the Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham last month, but a stray nail thwarted those plans.

“She had a nail go into her foot the week prior to the Mufhasa, so that put us on the backburner for a little bit,” Reid said.

“She had a couple of weeks out with that, so it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride.”

Hi Yo Sass Bomb has made pleasing progress and impressed in an exhibition gallop at her home track of New Plymouth a couple of weeks ago, giving Reid the confidence to press on towards the Thorndon Mile.

“We had a gallop between races at New Plymouth a few weeks ago. Chris (Dell) rode her there and was really happy with how she went,” she said.

Reid gave her mare a strong hit-out at home on Sunday and feared she may have overtaxed her less than a week out from her resuming run, but she said Hi Yo Sass Bomb has bounced through the run and is thriving ahead of Saturday.

“We travelled down to Wanganui to gallop between races on Saturday, but we thought the track was a bit firm and we didn’t want to risk it,” Reid said.

“We galloped at New Plymouth on Sunday and I thought I might have flattened her, it was a pretty hard gallop, but she has been bouncing around this week, so I think she is right there.”

Reid is aware of the task ahead of her this weekend, but she has faith her mare is up to the challenge, and TAB bookmakers agree, installing her a $7 third favourite behind Group One winner Legarto ($3) and last-start Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) winner Queen Zou ($5.50).

“I feel like she is flying,” Reid said. “I know it is a big ask heading straight back into a big one after such a big spell out, but she is pretty tough. I am expecting a nice run on Saturday.”

Reid has circled next month’s Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa as Hi Yo Sass Bomb’s next major target and felt the Thorndon Mile was the perfect lead-in race, with her mare set to carry just 53kg.

“We are heading to the Herbie Dyke (Gr.1, 2000m) as our next target, so we were looking for a race to get there,” she said. “We could go out in an open handicap carrying top weight, but 53kg is quite nice.”