Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds is preparing for one of his biggest attacks on the spring carnivals but his immediate focus is getting handy sprinter Prompt Return back in the winners list at Doomben.
Edmonds hopes a return to the gelding’s favoured track will help him in Saturday’s Tim Bell Memorial Open Handicap (1110m).
Prompt Return has been well beaten at his past two starts at the Sunshine Coast.
But his form around the smaller Doomben circuit is six starts for two wins and two minor placings including a third in 2017 Queensland Lightning.
Edmonds said six of Prompt Return’s seven wins had been on good tracks and he was likely to get those conditions on Saturday.
“He has also drawn well in barrier two,” Edmonds said.
The trainer is also putting the final touches to his plans for the spring carnivals.
He has switched the Segenhoe Stud pair Winter Bride and Granny Red Shoes from Sydney campaigns to Melbourne.
“Winter Bride will run in the How Now Stakes at Caulfield. There are plenty of other mares’ races there as well,” he said.
“Granny Red Shoes will run at Moonee Valley in early September as the first step to the Group One Thousand Guineas.”
“They both raced well in stakes company in the winter but will have to take another step up now.”
Edmonds will also take 2017 Magic Millions Classic winner Houtzen and stakes winning four-year-old Whypeeo to Melbourne.
Houtzen will chase fillies and mares Stakes races while Whypeeo, who has a win over Pierata to his credit, will also chase stakes Sprint races.
It was a great 2017/18 season for Edmonds with 106 overall winners and 59 in the metropolitan area.
Want more racing news? Cups Betting delivers you the latest horse racing news from all the major thoroughbred cups and feature races.