Champion Victorian trainer Kel Greenough will soon take the reins of Dalwhinnie but not before the gifted chaser takes aim at Friday night's Anniversary Cup (520m) at Richmond.
The son of Aston Dee Bee and Rasheda, which last October ran a track record 29.04 to score at Wentworth Park, has endured a wretched run with injuries, facing the starter on just six occasions since that mesmerising performance.
His most recent appearance was at Angle Park in September when going amiss in the Match Race Sprint Series when "tearing his hip flexor tendon" as a red hot favourite in his match race clash.
Mitchell Conquest, who is currently overseeing the dog's preparation, said a trial hit-out at Wentworth Park last Thursday confirmed the four-time winner was ready for his racetrack return.
"He went 23.67 post to post at Wentworth Park which is the best he's ever gone," Conquest said of the Bill Butler-trained charge.
"Before that the best he'd run is 23.77, so he's improved about a length and a half on his previous best.
"Friday night will be his first 500m since Adelaide and it's a stronger race than what we probably expected.
"But for him the better quality of opposition suits him. Friday will give us a better idea of where he is at."
Dalwhinnie has drawn box three for his Anniversary Cup push which will be his official racetrack debut at Richmond.
But unofficially the regally bred chaser has set the track alight, posting a near record 29.27 in a return to race Stewards trial ahead of his short lived Adelaide campaign in September.
Looming large in the $8,000-to-the-winner affair is Andy Lord's recent 29.47 Wentworth Park winner Consigliere (box two) and Zipping Augusta (box eight), a last start winner of the Peg & Bill Miller Memorial at Dubbo.
Also engaged is emerging type Release Point (box four), which steps up to 520m following some dazzling 400m successes.
