A trip to Caulfield for an exhibition gallop between races has knocked the rough edges off Tentyris ahead of his return in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained three-year-old is gearing up for a two-run campaign ahead of a potential overseas adventure that may include Royal Ascot in the middle of the year.
The Lightning Stakes (1000m) on Saturday is likely to be followed by the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 7.
Tentyris was last seen in action taking out the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 1 before being scratched at the barriers from the Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) a week later.
The colt was not out to break the clock in his work-out on Saturday, but Sam Freedman said the experience of being at Saturday’s race meeting would do Tentyris the world of good.
“He’s been on track for an hour-and-twenty, he had a play around, a sweat, he’s been stimulated,” Freedman said.
“It’s been a big day for him and that will bring on his fitness as much as anything else, and he will go back to Flemington that little bit more relaxed I would imagine.
“We took him for a couple of race day gallops last preparation, and it seemed to work well enough and hopefully it will take the edge off him for next week.”
Freedman said after talks with the Godolphin group only the Lightning Stakes and Newmarket Handicap had been locked away for Tentyris.
“The first two runs are pencilled in and then it’s up in the air,” Freedman said.
“He’s got to come back in the Lightning and run very well, and if he was to win the Lightning, we would have to see what weight he gets in the Newmarket.
“There have been conversations around overseas, but it’s all form dependant, how the horse is going, what’s best for him.
“There’s been no chat about a premature retirement or anything like that.
“If the horse is in form there is every chance he will race on into his four-year-old year, so there’s is the chance of travel then if he is going well.”
