Trainer John McArdle will take Power Trip to Adelaide to try to snare an end-of-season stakes win before the gelding begins his three-year-old year.

Power Trip scored a soft trial win over 760m on the Cranbourne synthetic track on Monday and will contest the Group Three Lightning Stakes over 1000m at Morphettville on July 30.

The two-year-old won the Maribyrnong Plate at Flemington last spring before finishing just behind the placegetters in four races during the autumn including the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes.

McArdle said Power Trip would return to Melbourne after the Lightning for the Vain Stakes at Caulfield next month, a race which would help define whether he was a sprinter or a miler.

“If he’s a miler we’ll head towards the Caulfield Guineas but if we think he’s a sprinter he’ll head down the Coolmore Stakes path,” McArdle said.

Power Trip ran his trial in 45.75 secs, the second fastest of the 760m heats, under the guidance of Chris Parnham.

What impressed McArdle was Power Trip’s relaxed nature before the trial.

“It’s good to see he didn’t have the ear muffs on and he didn’t wind up behind the barriers,” McArdle said.

“He settled even though he didn’t have cover and he didn’t try and run through the bridle.

“Chris just gave him a squeeze at around the hundred (metres) and I was quite happy with how he finished it off.”

McArdle said Power Trip was starting to fill out and mature mentally.

“He was like a tall lanky kid when he was running in the those two-year-old races and running well and as he matures more he’ll get a little bit more strength,” McArdle said.

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au