Trainer Paul Hunter is banking on an encouraging trial at Lark Hill last week to be the catalyst for a return to form from his talented mare Feels Playful.
The mare had just one start last campaign, where she finished more than five lengths behind Pompey over 1400m at Ascot.
She lines up in Saturday’s TABtouch-Have You Got The Touch Handicap (1400m) at Belmont on Saturday.
Feels Playful heads to Saturday’s event off the back of winning an 1100m trial at Lark Hill earlier this month.
Paul Hunter, who is also a part-owner of Feels Playful, said the trial was reassuring, ahead of her racetrack return.
“A couple of her early trials were underwhelming, and she was probably at the crossroads a bit,” Hunter told The Races WA.
“Holly (Watson) rode her in the trial and said she was happy, so we were happy.
“She’s had a combination of a few little issues that we’ve worked on.
“We think she’s back somewhere near right.”
Feels Playful announced herself as an exciting prospect at the start of last year, winning the Listed Challenge Stakes (1500m) and running second in the Listed Ascot 1000 Guineas (1800m).
The mares races over the Ascot carnival are on Hunter’s radar, but he said he wouldn’t make any long-term plans with Feels Playful and just hoped for a good showing on Saturday.
“As far as a pass mark for Saturday, I’m not sure, but I know at her best she will be competitive,” he said.
“We will take it run by run with her.
“There’s a couple of races coming up for her over the winter and if she comes through them well that’s (mares races) what we would aim at.”
Feels Playful is a $21 chance with TABtouch for Saturday’s event, with Celebrity Prince a $4 favourite.
