Forgotten Spring Racing Carnival contender Rekindled Interest is on track for a return to the races after impressing in an exhibition gallop at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Rekindled Interest could head to the Epsom Handicap first-up after working well at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Photo by: Taron Clarke

Rekindled Interest worked with stablemate Ferlax over 1000 metres and ran home strongly to finish ahead of the 2012 Australian Guineas winner.

The Redoute’s Choice gelding has not been seen at the races since pulling up lame after finishing at the tail of the field in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley last October and missed the entire 2013 Autumn Racing Carnival due to problems with his legs.

Trainer Jim Conlan was happy with the six-year-olds performance at his favourite track on Saturday and believes he has recovered from the injuries that have kept him out of racing for over ten months.

“His legs are really good at the moment,” Conlan told TVN.

“Rekindled Interest loves it here, he just finds it here.”

Conlan has not decided on the path that Rekindled Interest will take during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival with a first-up tilt at the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on October 5 and a third crack at the Cox Plate (2040m) both on the agenda.

“I don’t know where I’ll kick him off,” Conlan said.

“I’m thinking of a sprint or a mile or he might even go to Epsom first up.

“There’s a sprint race here (McEwen Stakes) on Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes day and then it’s three weeks to the Epsom and then three weeks to the Cox Plate.”

Rekindled Interest is still chasing his first success at Group 1 level to add to his victories in the 2010 Group 2 AAMI Vase (2040m) and the 2011 Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m).

The enigmatic gelding was desperately unlucky in the 2011 Cox Plate, finishing third despite being stuck in heavy traffic for the majority of the straight, while he finished a narrow second behind Metal Bender in the 2012 Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m).