Five months on from his spring campaign, King Of Thunder is ready for another crack at Derby success, arriving at Randwick this Saturday with added maturity and fitness.

The promising galloper will contest the ATC Australian Derby (2400m) just days after a brave third-place effort in the rescheduled Tulloch Stakes (2000m).

Despite the tight turnaround, co-trainer John O’Shea is taking a positive approach and is confident his runner will handle the backup.

“It is what it is,” O’Shea said.

“I don’t think there is any issue for him at the trip. He is executing his race plan so much better now as an older three-year-old.

We can go into Saturday’s race knowing we’ve got a fit horse that will be better suited on top of the ground that is going to run a strong mile-and-a-half.

We’re looking forward to the day.”

King Of Thunder was still learning when he placed in The Vase (2040m) last spring, before finishing midfield in the Victoria Derby (2500m) as a $6 chance.

O’Shea is wary of leading contender Aeliana but feels his horse is better prepared this time.

“The filly is good and she was very good the other day,” O’Shea said, referring to her fast-finishing second in the Rosehill Guineas.

“But he started favourite in the Victoria Derby. He didn’t execute well there, he will execute well on Saturday.”

Athabascan also runs for the stable in the Chairman’s Quality as he builds toward a Sydney Cup target. With a 3kg swing on rival Alalcance, he’s expected to be competitive.

But it’s Polymnia in the Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) who has O’Shea especially optimistic.

“She is a filly who has been very unlucky throughout her career and the other day we sent her for a kill and she got a kill. She thinks she is a bit alright now,” O’Shea said.

“We were treating her as a sprinter and it’s pretty evident she wants to get over a bit of ground.”

O’Shea claimed last year’s Adrian Knox with Good Banter and is hoping Polymnia can deliver a repeat result.