The chance to establish an early-season fitness edge is behind the mid-winter return of Group Two winner Havana Rey.
The four-year-old, who claimed the Ajax Stakes in the autumn, will be one of the first of the better-known spring carnival aspirants to resume when he steps out in Saturday’s July Sprint (1200m) at Randwick.
Trainer Bjorn Baker says the early comeback is geared towards having Havana Rey in peak condition for races like the Group Two Warwick Stakes (1400m) in late August.
“It’s a deliberate ploy. We’re trying to get him up and running. He needs good fitness to show his best and this way, at least he’s under way,” Baker said.
“The first main target is probably the Warwick Stakes on August 24. He goes well at Warwick Farm, although that race is probably still short of his best (distance).
“From there we will look to kick on.”
Havana Rey won a recent barrier trial and is a capable performer at the start of his campaigns.
Baker expects him to improve with racing but says his class will take him a long way on Saturday.
“He normally takes a run or two under his belt but he’s probably a little bit further ahead to what he has been in the past,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be going in confident, but on his day he is a very good horse.”
Long-term spring goals for Havana Rey will be dictated by his form but Baker says a trip to Melbourne is a possibility while the Epsom Handicap could also emerge as a goal.
“He will have to be going well for that but it’s a possibility for sure,” Baker said.
