Shane Crawford will have three fresh runners at Wanganui on Thursday and, while the trio will improve with their runs, they are forward enough to give good accounts of themselves.

The Cambridge trainer expects Tuscan Whistler in the Rayner Stables Maiden (1340m) to be his best winning chance.

“He shouldn’t be a maiden really, things haven’t gone right for him yet and he should be hard to beat,” Crawford said.

Tuscan Whistler has finished in the money in six of his seven starts and hasn’t been seen since he finished runner-up in August. 

Like his stablemates, the four-year-old trialled last week at Taupo and all three will be ridden by the in-form Troy Harris.

His first mount for Crawford will be Verbaliser in the Cookson Racing Maiden (1200m) and he will make his first appearance since his debut fifth at the Taupo meeting where Tuscan Whistler was in action.

“He’s been a slow-maturing horse and he’s not overly big,” Crawford said.

“The 1200m might be a bit sharp for him, but he’ll be running on and once he gets up to 1400 or 1600m he should be winning a maiden pretty quickly.”

Kool Connection has a win and five placings from her 11 starts and will resume in the New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m).

“She’s really honest and again the distance might be a bit sharp for her, but it’s a Pearl Series Race so it’s worth having a go and I’m sure she’ll run well,” Crawford said.