The Leon, Troy and Will Larkin stable has worked overtime to get talented sprinter Baraqiel back to the races.
The seven-year-old, who has battled leg issues throughout his career, has only had 10 starts for six wins. He was a late scratching from the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield last month after vets deemed him lame in a pre-race trot up.
Trainer Will Larkin said it was a case of the on-course vets being unfamiliar with the gelding.
“He’s a seven-year-old gelding who has had multiple issues throughout his career, so he was never going to trot up perfect,” Larkin said.
“It was a matter of the vets not knowing him … on face value when you see him trot up for the first time, he doesn’t look too fluent.”
Baraqiel has since been cleared by Racing Victoria and is set to resume in Saturday’s Listed Norman Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley.
After a recent jump-out win at Flemington, Larkin is confident.
“He’s been very good since his last jump out so there’s no reason why he can’t be very competitive on Saturday,” he said.