Okita Soushi, the Melbourne Cup placegetter, is set to return to action at Flemington on Saturday after plans for a Middle East campaign were shelved.

The Ciaron Maher-trained stayer will compete alongside stablemates Mankayan, United Nations, and Night Endeavor in the TAB Australian Cup Race Day over 2000m, scheduled for March 29.

Okita Soushi’s last race was a third-place finish behind Knight’s Choice in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington in November. According to Jack Turnbull, assistant trainer at the Maher stable in Cranbourne, the team initially considered a trip to Dubai for a high-stakes staying race in March but ultimately deemed it logistically impractical.

“We had it on the cards,” Turnbull told RSN.
“He had two weeks off like the majority of our staying horses and we were prepping him for a potential Dubai assault, but we didn’t get there. Just logistically, it was going to prove very difficult.”

Turnbull revealed that Okita Soushi was initially aimed at the Bagot Handicap (2800m) at Flemington on New Year’s Day. However, the stable was unsatisfied with his progress and opted to hold off until this weekend.

To prepare for his return, Okita Soushi participated in two Cranbourne jump-outs over 1400m, the latest on January 6.
“We’ll run him on Saturday, have a bit of a fitness run, and then he heads towards the Torney Cup at Moonee Valley about a month later,” Turnbull said.
“Then it will be off to the Sydney Cup. He is the class horse, but we know he doesn’t get warm until we get him to 12 furlongs.”

While Okita Soushi is the standout in the stable for Saturday’s race, Turnbull is optimistic about Night Endeavor’s chances.
“I think he is the forgotten stayer,” Turnbull said.
“He is working towards this 2000-metre trip and will be better again over further. United Nations is back after a break and is heading towards the Sydney Cup, while Mankayan, we’ve mixed things up with him. He’s just struggling for form. He’s showing us glimpses but needs to get the first half right.”