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Deane Martin has returned to his Byerley Park base following a successful four-start Sydney campaign.

A first-up sixth in his Australian debut, the five-year-old then improved on a third placing in the Gr.3 Kingston Town Stakes to win last month’s Gr.3 Colin Stephen Quality at Rosehill.

He backed up a week later in the Gr.1 The Metropolitan at Randwick, but the Bruce Wallace-prepared Keeper gelding tailed the field home after a torrid wide run in the Randwick feature.

“He came back with a runny nose after the Metrop and had three weeks in the paddock,” stable foreman Allan Peard said.

“We’ll go over him and make sure he’s 100 per cent before he starts some light work.”

Deane Martin’s stablemate and one-time Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes hopeful Just Call Me Ray is also back in work after a brief let-up.

The Sufficient three-year-old placed at his first two starts before he won his maiden at Ruakaka in August and two runs later he struck again in a Rating 65 event on the Whangarei track.

“He was going to go to Sydney, but we decided at the last minute against it and as we weren’t keen on Christchurch we freshened him up,” Peard said.

“At this stage, he’ll step out next in the Trevor Eagle Memorial over 1500 metres at Ellerslie on November 29. He’s a very promising horse.”

Barn-mate Fast Dragon was a first-up in the race last year behind Rising Romance and the brother to Group One winner Albany Reunion is over a recent setback.

“He was ready to go again when he got a stone bruise that upset his programme,” Peard said.

“It’s been very difficult to find the right race for him and he’s got to get out soon.”

The winner of the Listed Champagne Stakes as a juvenile, he hasn’t raced since he ran sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby.