Group 2 winner Caste is nearing her much-anticipated return to the racetrack.
The rising five-year-old faced uncertainty about her racing future after an injury in the spring, following victories in the Listed Nitschke Stakes (1400m) and Group 2 Queen of the South Stakes (1600m) during last year’s Adelaide Carnival.
“She was looking like being one of our headline horses and when she broke down it was a bit devastating,” Ben Hayes, who trains in partnership with his brothers Will and JD, told Racing.com.
“She didn’t have a great back-to-racing prognosis, so we’ve just taken our time.
“She’s had a long time off and had a long, slow build-up, but we are now up to trial stage and she appears very sound.
“She could be the smokey for the spring.”
Hayes mentioned that the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) on August 17 or the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) on August 31, both at Caulfield, will likely be her starting point before targeting mares’ races in the spring.
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