Three runs into Peltzer’s spring campaign, Gerald Ryan sat back, reflected and made the key decision to increase the colt’s workload.
The three-year-old had been competitive against the best of his age group but Ryan suspected he wasn’t at peak fitness and had more to offer.
He upped the ante on the training track and Peltzer lapped up the extra work, responding with back-to-back wins in the Group Two Stan Fox Stakes and $1 million Bondi Stakes.
This time around, Ryan has made a high workload standard practice for Peltzer from the outset.
He also believes horses naturally come to hand quicker at this time of year and is expecting a bold performance when Peltzer launches his campaign in Saturday’s Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
“He does a lot of work and a lot of swimming and he just eats everything every day,” Ryan said.
“Horses come up quicker in the summer than what they do in the winter. They’re not trying to keep warm. And they come up quicker after a spring campaign.
“He had four weeks out and he didn’t need to have anymore.”
Peltzer is unbeaten in four starts at Randwick and has prepared for his return with two barrier trials, the latest when taking out a Rosehill heat.
Ryan said the horse had continued to thrive and would follow a traditional three-year-old path towards the Group One Randwick Guineas, via the Hobartville Stakes.
Golden Rose runner-up North Pacific headed Eskimo Prince markets on Thursday with Peltzer ($5) and stablemate The Face ($7.50) both prominent in betting.