Greg Sugars’ has won the plum drive behind promising Kiwi trotter Mexicana, who will make her Australian debut in Sunday’s Volstead Redwood Classic.

The $50,000 two-year-old feature shares headline status on Sunday’s Redwood Day at Maryborough with the Bold Eagle @ Haras Des Trotteurs Victoria Trotters Derby, amid an outstanding all-trotting 12-race card.

Mexicana will step from gate eight for Sugars and trainer Josh Dickie (pictured), who’s had the Muscle Mass filly for her past two starts and produced two victories in open-age racing.

Previously trained by Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen’s All Stars stable, Dickie told SENTrack’s Talking Trots he benefitted when Mexicana’s owner Trevor Casey split his New Zealand camp.

“He had two or three two-year-old trotters running around at the time and the plan was Mexicana to hopefully get to Australia, so he thought he could just probably separate them a little bit by just sending one up to Auckland,” Dickie said.

“She was pretty well educated by the time I got her, but she’s gone on with it since then and done really well.”

The consecutive wins gave the camp confidence to send her across the Tasman, but unfortunately Dickie was unable to make the trip with her owing to pandemic restrictions.

“We worked it out, it’s going to be about eight to 10 weeks away, with quarantine when you get home,” he said. “We’ve got 30-odd horses in work here and race five or six a week.

“The realistic thing was to stay behind, it’s frustrating but just the times we’re in. I’m sure it won’t be for too much longer, it’s just the way it is.”

That meant Dickie, who enjoyed Redwood Day success in 2015 when brilliant trotter Speeding Spur won the Derby, has instead had to hand the reins to a local for Sunday’s Group 1.

“Originally when we sent the horse over (Anthony Butt) was down to drive her and obviously circumstances have changed a little bit with his trotter (Have No Fear) winning the other day. Looks very impressive too. Ants is probably going to have to drive that horse,” Dickie told SENTrack.

“We’ve had some discussions over Sunday afternoon, Trevor and I, and we made the decision to get in contact with Greg Sugars. He was more than happy to take the drive, so when you can get a fella like Greg to drive the horse you know you are in pretty safe hands.”

Mexicana will step from inside the second row in the Classic, which takes place at 3.39pm on Sunday.

Rob Auber will head up full coverage with race caller Lachie McIntosh, with the extended coverage to be streamed live and free on Trots Vision at thetrots.com.au.

For those having a bet, please note the quaddie legs will be races seven to 10, the treble races eight to 10, the daily double races eight and 10, the early quaddie races three to six, and the Big 6 races five to 10.