It's going to be a case of wait and see in more ways the one when enigmatic galloper Octane resumes at Gawler on Saturday.
The $1.4m yearling was on the verge of retirement following a winless 2021 and assistant trainer Tommy Stokes said it was hard to know just what to expect.
A disappointing campaign, coupled with the unknown pattern at Gawler which can be conducive to horses on speed, poses plenty of unknowns for the horse who likes to get back and flash home in his races.
“The bit of rain should help him, and the track should play well,’’ Stokes said.
Octane won just one of his first six starts before joining the Stokes stable and winning six of his next seven, his last win coming at Flemington in August 2020.
Stokes said the horse was looking a picture in the paddock which convinced them to give him another race campaign.
“He was looking so well and feeling so well we thought we’d give him one more chance,’’ Stokes said.
“We’ve taken a long time pre-training him and changed his work up a bit and he seems to be going OK.
“We were working him up in the forest before he came down to Morphettville and we can’t fault him,’’ he said.
The stable has Terbium in the same race who will get the benefit of a two-kilogram claim for apprentice Gary Lo.
“It’s a harder race, but we’re happy with him and hoping the two kilograms off will give him the extra half a length he needs,’’ Stokes said.
The stable has Yellow Idol running early in the day and Stokes said the horse looked perfectly placed from barrier three.
“It looks the right race for her,’’ Stokes said.
“She’s drawn to bounce in the first three and she looks hard to beat,’’ he said.
