Group 1 winner returns to Flemington

Trainer Gavin Bedggood has given Group 1 winner Mornington Glory a thorough grounding ahead of his latest return to racing.

This will be his first outing in almost seven months in the Listed ATA/Bob Hoysted Handicap (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Bedggood has played the long game with Mornington Glory after his was diagnosed with 'bone bruising' after an unsuccessful three-run early spring campaign last year which came to end after running last in the Concorde Stakes at Randwick.

"Post Sydney, we sent him off for an MRI and scintigraphy, and he came back with pod lesions, or severe bone bruising," Bedggood said.

"He had a three-month paddock break, a long rehab and returned with a month on the water walker, a month on the sandhills (at Cranbourne) and then a month of pacework.

"He's got a really good base of fitness on him. He won his last trial, but I would say I have seen him trial better than what he did.

"He's a horse that has not performed at his best first-up, but I would be disappointed if he didn't run well."

Mornington Glory struck a purple patch of form during the early spring of 2024, culminating in his victory in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley.

After two more starts he was sent for a break and got to the trialling stage last autumn but again went for a spell after wrenching a joint.

Bedggood conceded there was possibly 'trainer error' in sending Mornington Glory to the races last spring off only one trial before his campaign ended after three runs.

An Adelaide campaign could be on the agenda for Mornington Glory after Saturday's outing and one more start.

"He's got to put his hand up and show me something in his first two runs, otherwise we might pull the pin," Bedggood said.

"I don't want to be that trainer that had a good horse that kept on banging it around for the sake of running it.

"He owes us nothing and we owe him everything."