Veteran sprinter Keen Array has trialled well enough to indicate he is getting back near his Group-winning form as prepares for the Brisbane summer carnival.
Keen Array makes his return to racing against an above average off-season sprint field in Saturday’s Tomra Open (1000m) at Eagle Farm.
The now seven-year-old was a stakes performer when trained by Lindsay Park for four seasons.
Keen Array won seven races including the 2017 Group Two Gilgai Stakes, the best of his four stakes wins in Melbourne.
He also ran second to Japonisme in the 2015 Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington.
Keen Array was transferred to the Toby and Trent Edmonds training partnership for the winter carnival and ran in three stakes races for fourths in the Ascot Handicap and Chief De Beers Stakes and seventh in the W J Healy Stakes.
After a let-up in June, Keen Array has returned in good order, winning 1000m trials at the Gold Coast and Beaudesert.
“We got him in the winter and his three runs for us were good without winning,” Toby Edmonds said.
“But he has really pleased us this time. Keen Array is probably best when able to get back a bit off the pace and while he has been bouncing out in his trials we will try to ride him that way on Saturday.
“There is a stack of pace in Saturday’s race so if should suit him.”
Edmonds said Keen Array, an Inglis Sales graduate, would target feature sprint races and also be aimed at a wild card into the Magic Millions Snippets Handicap in January.
Stable apprentice Jackson Murphy will ride Keen Array on Saturday.
The powerful Chris Waller stable, which rarely uses apprentices, has booked Murphy to ride Cellarman in the Austrans Open (1815m) to utilise his two kilo claim.
