After missing the Brisbane carnival through injury, Robert Heathcote says his star sprinter Bufferingis ready to fire this spring.
Buffering, a four-time Group 1-winner, suffered a sesamoid injury back in March but has recovered well and his trainer thinks the eight-year-old can return to his best during the Spring Carnival.
“The five weeks he’s been back with us he’s the Buffering of old,” Heathcote told Racing.com’sRacing Ahead on RSN.
“It’s pleasing to see he’s come back well, he had an extended break - a forced break to a degree - when he suffered an injury leading into our winter carnival.
“But he’s back, he’s sound, he’s healthy and he looks well.
“The fact that he had so long off I’ve given him plenty of time to strip down to his fighting weight.”
Buffering hasn’t raced since he finished sixth in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint back in December but is set to defend his title in the Group 1 Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley in early October.
“We’ll go to the Moir,” Heathcote said.
“It’s now three weeks on to the Manikato (Stakes) after that and then on to the Darley (Classic).
“He’s going to have about 12 weeks before he lines up, so plenty of time.”