Group One galloper Royal Performer resumes on Thursday for Jenny and Bob Vance in an Open Handicap over 1400m at Pukekohe Park.
The well-travelled nine-year-old has been assigned top-weight of 63.5kgs with the stable to utilise four-kilo claiming apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll to reduce the impost.
"He will get back a little bit but he comes home and finishes his races off so he is not too difficult to ride," Bob Vance said.
"I'm just happy to get a run into him on a decent track first up. 1400m is probably a touch short for him to be honest, he is more of a mile to 2000m horse but he will run well. He will take a lot of improvement from the run."
The Vances elected not to participate in earlier spring features with the son of Medicean, who came to them third-hand after initially racing in the UK and then Hong Kong.
Royal Performer shot to prominence last summer, winning four races for the Ardmore Lodge trainers, highlighted by success in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa.