Three winners in four days cemented the remarkable training revival of childhood mates Brett Lazzarini and Tyrone Coyle.
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Coyle has been working with Lazzarini at their new Kembla Grange operation, with Delileo and Wild Chap saluting last week - at $9 and $11 respectively - to help launch into a spring campaign.
On the side, Coyle has his training licence and a passion project of his own, in four-year-old gelding Prince Aurelius, who broke his Maiden in track record time at Moruya on Tuesday.
"Most definitely, it was pretty special," Coyle said.
"He's the fifth foal from the mother and the second one we've got to the track, but he was born with a club foot.
"We've taken our time with him, he's been a bit of a ratbag and kept doing stupid things and finding ways to hurt himself in the paddock.
"But he showed there at Moruya he's got some ability."
Prince Aurelius was bred out of Demarcation, a mare the pair had running in Queensland in 2010, who had two wins from six races, including finishing midfield behind the great Buffering as a two-year-old.
While Lazzarini manages two stables, one for Delileo and Wild Chap's owner John O'Connor and the other for the ambitious Lavalle family, Coyle has no plans to take on more horses in his own name.
Lazzarini rides Prince Aurelius in trackwork, continuing an association with Coyle which dates back to the age of 12, before launching racing careers at Canterbury in the late 1970s.
They both moved to Ballina and chased success throughout northern NSW and Queensland, but Coyle handed in his licence in 1996, to raise a young family and a change of pace as a pony club president.
Still the lure of thoroughbreds proved too strong, eventually rebuilding their training careers when Lazzarini, working with son Wyatt, took over from Mick Tubman at Kembla Grange.
Prince Aurelius now heads to the spelling paddock again after breaking through at his fourth start, but Coyle is optimistic the best is yet to come.
"I think so, now he's had that education, hopefully he can come back better again," he said. When we ran him in town (last on debut at Warwick Farm in July) he was just overawed by it all.
"So the win was the culmination of five years work, but we're just in it for the fun."
Lazzarini is already eyeing some more serious races with Delileo, after breaking at Kembla Grange on Saturday.
Only finding room late, Mikayla Weir emerged from behind Amulet Street to win by a nose over 1400m.
"He's not a sit-and-sprint horse and the second horse has shifted out on him, it was a huge win," Lazzarini said.
"We'll keep getting him out over further and find something when the top carnival horses are gone over 10 furlongs (2000m) in town."
Wild Chap secured his second win from five starts by controlling proceedings in a Benchmark 64 (1350m) at Wyong.
Of Lazzarini's other horses, Winona Costin will ride four-year-old mare Frazil in a Class 1 Handicap over 2000m at Hawkesbury.
