A satisfying first-up run by Davcon at Caulfield on Saturday will encourage trainer Heath Conners to pursue a start for the four-year-old in the Group Two Villiers Stakes at Randwick later this month.A son of Anglia, Davcon was gelded after three disappointing runs last autumn and Conners was able to get him back to something like the form he showed as a two and three-year-old."He had issues with rubbing himself and with his feet but he showed last campaign that he was back," said Conners who wi

A satisfying first-up run by Davcon at Caulfield on Saturday will encourage trainer Heath Conners to pursue a start for the four-year-old in the Group Two Villiers Stakes at Randwick later this month.

A son of Anglia, Davcon was gelded after three disappointing runs last autumn and Conners was able to get him back to something like the form he showed as a two and three-year-old.

"He had issues with rubbing himself and with his feet but he showed last campaign that he was back," said Conners who will train under the Aquanita Racing banner from January 1.

A 1200m winner at Moonee Valley as a two-year-old, Davcon was runner-up by a neck to Barbaricus in the 2007 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at the Valley and fourth to Weekend Hussler in the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) before losing his way.

In five runs after the operation Davcon ran into form, finishing third to Accosta over 1730m when third-up at Flemington, winning over 1600m at Moonee Valley and at his latest outing running second to Hissing Sid over 2000m at Caulfield on July 19.

Conners said he expected him to be running on nicely in Saturday's The 65 Roses Victoria Cup (1400m).

"He's had two jumpouts and galloped over 800 metres at Sandown before the races last week," he said.

"He looks good in himself and if he pulls up tremendously well and he is able to get a start we might take him to Sydney for the Villiers.

"But if the Villiers is going to be too strong he will stay home and run in the Lord Stakes."

The Group Two Villiers (1600m) is at Randwick on December 20 while the Listed Lord Stakes (1700m) is at Caulfield on December 26.

Conners is also considering taking Davcon to Tasmania for the $400,000 Hobart Cup (2200m) on February 9 and the $300,000 Launceston Cup (2400m) on February 25, both Group Three events.

Meanwhile, the trainer is happy with the good (3) track rating for stablemate At The Oasis in the Victoria Cup.

"I think we've scratched him five times in the last three weeks," he said.

"He needs a good track, he can't have a dead track and this track at Caulfield tends to cop a fair bit of rain before it gets some give in it so even if we have a shower today it should be right for tomorrow anyway."

A seven-year-old by Desert Sun, At The Oasis hasn't raced since finishing seventh to Pinnacles over 1400m at Flemington on March 15.

The winner of seven races from 29 starts, the gelding has raced only twice since he bled when last to In The Shadows in the Gold Nugget (1600m) at Ballarat in October last year.

"He's had a lot of problems, a couple of suspensories and he has bled, but he seems happy at the moment and I think the first couple of runs are going to show us whether he's back or not," Conners said.

Danny Brereton will ride At The Oasis while Dale Smith takes the mount on Davcon.