A fortnight can be a long time in the life of a young trotter, and for Apollo Eleven and Ellie Diamond, Friday night presents another opportunity to take a measured step forward in their early careers.

The pair line up in Race 4 at 6:21pm – the BRECKONS FARMS 2YO Mobile Trot at Alexandra Park on April 17, following an encouraging quinella effort on debut at Cambridge.

Prepared by Dylan and Jo Ferguson, both horses come into the race having taken natural improvement from their first outing, something the stable has been pleased with in the lead-up.

Apollo Eleven, known as “Teddy”, faces a new challenge this time from a wider draw, but his work at home has given connections confidence he can handle it.

“Teddy moves to the outside of the gate which is a new challenge for him but one he’s good enough to overcome,” Ferguson said.

“He’s continuing to improve and thrive off the added workload and pressure that has been thrown at him over the past month, and his work today was right up to the mark.”

As with all 2YO trotters, the focus remains on getting the basics right.

“You’ve always got to have your fingers crossed they do everything right, but if he does that he should go a nice race.”

Apollo Eleven will be handled by experienced reinsman Peter Ferguson on Friday night.

Ellie Diamond, meanwhile, draws to give herself every chance to be competitive.

“Ellie tried hard but couldn’t reel in Teddy in their first start, but she has the advantage of the draws on her side this time,” Ferguson said.

There is a slight query around her Auckland way of trotting, though it’s not without encouragement.

“Switching to her less preferred way of going is a bit of a question mark, but she did trial well at Alexandra Park earlier in her preparation.”

From barrier one, tactics are expected to be positive, with Dylan Ferguson taking the drive himself.

“Firstly we’ll be looking for her to do everything right, but from gate one we’ll drive her positively, use it to our advantage, and if things go her way she should be competitive.”

Adding further depth to the stable’s representation is I’m Annie, who also lines up in the event. While not owned by Off n Racing, she continues to track in the right direction following an interrupted preparation.

“She’s still on the way up after an interrupted prep, but seems to have taken great improvement from her debut run and drawn to get a cozy trip,” Ferguson said.

Both Apollo Eleven and Ellie Diamond are part-owned by Off n Racing Syndications and form part of a larger ownership group put together by Ferguson Racing, a model that continues to open the doors for more people to get involved in the sport.

It’s also a partnership Dylan and Jo Ferguson have embraced, combining their hands-on training approach with syndication groups like Off n Racing to give a wider ownership base the chance to experience racing at this level.

For the Fergusons, this stage is about education and progression rather than expectation.

Friday night will offer another piece of the puzzle, how their young trotters handle different scenarios, back up their debut efforts, and continue to develop with racing.

And if they can do that, they’ll once again give a good account of themselves.

For those watching on, it’s a reminder of what makes racehorse ownership so appealing, being involved from the very beginning, following young horses as they learn their craft, and enjoying the ride with a group of like-minded people.

Through Off n Racing Syndications, opportunities are available to get involved in both harness and thoroughbred racing with affordable shares, strong communication, and access to leading stables like Dylan and Jo Ferguson.

If you’ve ever thought about getting involved in racehorse ownership, now is a great time to jump in and be part of the journey, because these are the moments you don’t just want to watch… you want to be part of.