The four-year-old is scheduled to resume in the Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday, kick starting a program connections hope will culminate in a Stradbroke Handicap bid.
Peter Snowden reported Xidaki had returned to work bigger than ever this preparation and viewed his extra weight as a positive.
“He looks a bit like Santa Claus at the moment, he’s got a bit of condition on him,” Snowden said.
“But he is going great. He is the biggest he’s ever been but he is the best he has ever looked.
“Hopefully we’re right on track because we’ve got a big preparation planned for him this time in.”
Xidaki was narrowly beaten in the Silver Eagle (1300m) when he resumed in the spring before going on to place in the Festival Stakes (1500m) and finish midfield in The Ingham (1600m).
Snowden felt the horse’s racing manners were hindering him from reaching his full potential and has made a gear change to combat it.
“I have put a cross-over noseband on him because midrace a couple of times last campaign, he was getting too keen,” he said.
“It seems to be working really well at home. If he can just settle a bit more in his races, some of those margins he got beaten by were very slender and he was getting himself beaten by getting aggressive too early.
“Hopefully he races more settled and he can win a good race.”
Given his winter carnival aspirations for Xidaki, Snowden expects the two-time stakes winner to continue to improve deeper into his preparation.
However, he has also learned not to take the horse lightly, particularly fresh.
“Third and fourth up is when we really want him to perform. But last time in first-up I thought he couldn’t win and he ran a blinder,” Snowden said.
“Never dismiss him because he is a genuine, honest horse.”
Xidaki has three placings from four first-up runs, including his narrow second in last year’s Silver Eagle.
