Orbit Express will back up in next Saturday's Group Three Victoria Handicap after his return to winning form at Caulfield.The six-year-old, who has been placed at Group Three and Listed level, won his first race in 16 months when he took out Saturday's Viking Ruler Joins Mornmoot Stud Hcp (1200m).Punters sent him out at $10 but Flemington trainer Steve McKinnon was extremely happy with the gelding's first-up seventh, beaten less than 1-1/2 lengths, to Devil May Care in the Listed Bob Hoysted Hcp

Orbit Express will back up in next Saturday's Group Three Victoria Handicap after his return to winning form at Caulfield.

The six-year-old, who has been placed at Group Three and Listed level, won his first race in 16 months when he took out Saturday's Viking Ruler Joins Mornmoot Stud Hcp (1200m).

Punters sent him out at $10 but Flemington trainer Steve McKinnon was extremely happy with the gelding's first-up seventh, beaten less than 1-1/2 lengths, to Devil May Care in the Listed Bob Hoysted Hcp (1000m) at Flemington on March 13.

"He had an ordinary preparation last time so we pulled the pin and sent him back to the paddock," McKinnon said.

"You always worry when they come back from a poor preparation but his run at Flemington and his work indicated he was back and I just came to the races expecting him to pull out a good run and he did."

"He's a handy horse and he only had to find his right form with 55-1/2kg to win again. I'd have been disappointed if he didn't hit the line like he did."

McKinnon, best known as the trainer of Zaparri, who won 14 races including the 1994 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot, is happy to have a small team of only four horses in work these days.

Ridden by James Winks, Orbit Express ($10) settled fifth in the seven-horse field and powered home down the outside to score by three-quarters of a length from Stanzout ($9.50) with Zedi Knight ($3.30 fav) a short-head away third.

McKinnon said Orbit Express was even better over the 1400 metres of the Victoria Handicap, a race he finished fourth to Masked Assassin in last year and he's happy to back him up next Saturday.

"His back-up record is extremely good so I ran him second up here today with the view to backing up," he said.

"I've just got to hope the weather holds that's all because he's useless on soft tracks."

Orbit Express, whose most recent win had been over 1400m when he defeated Danzylum at Caulfield in December 2008, has now won nine races and placed in 11 of 39 starts.

Among his best performances are Group Three thirds to Chasm in the 2008 Sandown Stakes (1500m) and to King Hoaks in the 2009 Standish Handicap (1200m) as well as second placings in Listed races to Mind Your Head in the 2008 Christmas Stakes (1200m) and to Rok Posta in the Chester Manifold Stakes (1410m).