KEY POINTS:
Cox Plate winner El Segundo is back in work at Colin Little's stable before his return to the track next month.
Little said the 6-year-old, who arrived at Caulfield last week, would follow the same summer-autumn campaign as he did a year ago.
The trainer said El Segundo would resume in the group two Carlyon Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on January 25, a race he won this year.
"He'll go on to the Orr and the Futurity," Little said.
Little said El Segundo had 50 days between his fourth to Desert War in the 2006 Mackinnon Stakes and the Carlyon, whereas he has 43 days to get him ready for the same weight-for-age event this time around.
"We pushed him along pretty quickly last year and he's had a bit longer spell this year," Little said.
"He's very well."
The trainer said El Segundo came back into the stable weighing 510kg. His optimum racing weight was 485kg.
The gelding's five owners are keen to take him overseas and have earmarked the Dubai Duty Free (1777m) in March, but Australia's equine influenza outbreak looks likely to thwart that plan.
"As it stands there is a bar on taking horses from here to Dubai," Little said. "You have to be at the top of your game to go."
Little said the idea of taking El Segundo to race at Royal Ascot in June had "been completely knocked on the head".
"If he doesn't go to Dubai he could run in the Australian Cup, but he jarred up in it this year so we have to be careful," Little said.
After beating Cocinero and Super Elegant first up in the Carlyon last January, El Segundo won the group one C F Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield from Marasco, Aqua D'Amore and Miss Finland.
Third-up he was sent out the odds-on favourite and ran third behind Aqua D'Amore and Seachange in the Futurity Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield.
El Segundo was again a beaten favourite when seventh to Pompeii Ruler in the Australian Cup (2000m) at Caulfield and was sent for a spell.
He returned for a very successful spring carnival which netted him a narrow victory over Haradasun in the group two Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley and his fourth group one win in the Cox Plate (2040m).
* Trainer David Payne tipped a bright future for exciting juvenile Stripper after she won the first Sydney 2-year-old race at Rosehill last Saturday.
He said the filly would now be set for the autumn.
- AAP
