Lightly-raced stakeswinner Hanks is laying the foundation for what trainer Peter Moody hopes will be a lucrative autumn carnival for the four-year-old.High hopes have always been held for the gelding but after suffering a virus and feet problems Moody was unable to get him up to contest the major races in the spring.Racing manager Jeff O'Conner said Hanks had missed a vital time of his career and the focus was now on making up for lost time in 2011 with the son of Encosta De Lago.He said Hanks n

Lightly-raced stakeswinner Hanks is laying the foundation for what trainer Peter Moody hopes will be a lucrative autumn carnival for the four-year-old.

High hopes have always been held for the gelding but after suffering a virus and feet problems Moody was unable to get him up to contest the major races in the spring.

Racing manager Jeff O'Conner said Hanks had missed a vital time of his career and the focus was now on making up for lost time in 2011 with the son of Encosta De Lago.

He said Hanks needed racing now to get the necessary conditioning for the autumn and that an improved performance was expected from him at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

After choking down and finishing last first-up in the Sale Cup (1600m) on October 24, he will wear a tongue tie for the first time when contesting the open handicap over 1600 metres at the Valley.

"He is right now but we missed all the races he should have been running in during the spring," O'Conner said.

He was looking to have a belated "fly" at last Saturday's Group Three Eclipse Stakes (1800m) at Sandown but a heavy track thwarted those plans.

"He didn't get the run he needed at Sale to run in an 1800-metre race on a heavy track," O'Conner said.

"It would have been too hard for him last Saturday but hopefully we will see a bit of the old Hanks at Moonee Valley with the tongue tie on this time.

"It is important to give him a couple of runs now before we put him out to make sure he has the hardness he needs in the autumn.

"There is still time for him and there are a lot of good options for him early next year even though it might be a bit rushed."

Hanks is a giant at around 17 hands and has won three of his eight starts.

He won as a late two-year-old at Sale and scored at Sandown first-up as a three-year-old before winning the Group Two AAMI Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley last October.

Connections decided against running Hanks in last year's Victoria Derby and ever since his career has limped along.

Hanks is among the topweights with 57kg for the Valley with only Zagreb (59kg) and Sadalbari (57.5kg), who was fourth in the Eclipse, above him.