Nocturnal Affair is being prepared for a crack at the Nunthorpe Stakes at York next month.
Trainer David Marnane reports the six-year-old sprinter to be close to a return to action after having had a break since being campaigned in Meydan during the winter.
“He’s come back super. I watched him do a piece of work at Dundalk last weekend and he’s done really well,” said the County Tipperary handler.
“He looks like he’s improved a bit and he’s come back stronger.
“We purposely gave him a break after Meydan and he runs in a Listed race at Tipperary on August 10, ground permitting, with a view to it being a prep for the Nunthorpe.
“It’s amazing to have two top sprinters like him and Dandy Boy.”
The latter also holds an entry in the Nunthorpe, but Marnane has yet to firm up plans for the Wokingham winner, who was not disgraced on heavy in the July Cup at Newmarket.
“He came out of the race at Newmarket as fresh as paint. We couldn’t be happier with him,” he said.
“We’ll have a sit down and a think about it, but he came out of it really well.”
Victorian spring carnival officials are hoping to lure Dandy Boy to race in Australia.
The Patinack Farm Classic, won by Black Caviar for the past two years, has been suggested as a spring target for Dandy Boy.
