Maitland reinsman Guy Chapple hopes Roclea Star will return to his two-year-old form when he resumes at Newcastle Paceway on Friday night.
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Roclea Star won on debut at Newcastle in February last year and went on to place in strong races, including a heat of the Breeders Challenge.
However, his three-year-old campaign ended after just four starts following three seventh placings.
"I got him gelded when I brought him back and I reckon the penicillin and everything just mucked around with his blood. I just couldn't get it right," said Chapple, whose son, Mitch, trains the pacer.
"He went awful, so we tipped him out. We've brought him back and we trialled him the other week and he flew at Maitland, so we think he'll be hard to beat."
In the 1646m Maitland hit-out, Roclea Star went around in a 1:58:2 mile rate, which was marginally faster than Hunter Region Championship winner Kanye Crusader's trial that day. He has gate one in race two on Friday.
Meanwhile, Harness Racing NSW said Thursday that base prizemoney for category A and B meetings will be restored from July 1.
Prizemoney was reduced on May 11 because of the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.