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Lightly-raced galloper Bahen makes his reappearance on Friday night in the $75,000 Kranji Stakes C over 1100m on the Polytrack.

Prepared by first season trainer Shane Baertschiger, Bahen hasn’t started since finishing 12th behind Gingerbread Man in the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup over 1400m on June 3.

Formerly prepared in Australia by Tim Martin, Bahen joined Baertschiger’s yard earlier in the year and was successful first-up on the Polytrack in a 1000m Class 4 Stakes on March 23.

He backed that up with victory in Graduation company over 1200m on April 15 before finishing fourth to Cash Dot Com in a Kranji Stakes C over 1200m, again on the Polytrack, on May 11.

Bahen then had just the one more start – in the Stewards’ Cup – before going for a well deserved break.

The son of Tale Of The Cat has had two trials in preparation for his return to racing on Friday night and has gone about his business in good style.

He finished fourth in a 1000m barrier trial on September 18 before scoring a three-and-a-quarter length victory over 1000m last Thursday, defeating Media Captain in a time of 1 min 01.45 secs.

Baertschiger and his team have done a lot of work improving the barrier manners of Bahen for his return to racing after he played up at the start on a couple of occasions last time in and also developing the habit of being slow to begin.

“We’ve put the blindfold on him in his two trials this time around and he’s been walking straight in and jumping away well,” said Baertschiger.

“I thought his first trial was quite good, but he then came out and won last Thursday in very good style.

“That showed me he has come back from his break in good form and is ready for a return to the races.

“We haven’t got any ambitious plans for him. We’ll just take him through his grades and see where he gets to.”

Baertschiger did throw Bahen into the deep end at the end of his last campaign by running him in the Stewards’ Cup, but he wasn’t disappointed with the effort.

“He was only around seven lengths from the winner and I think by that stage he had had enough,” said Baertschiger.

“He had been in work for sometime and also had a few trials before he raced, so I wasn’t too disappointed with how he went in the Stewards’ Cup.

“He’s come back well so far in this campaign and I’m looking forward to see how he performs first-up on Friday night.”

John Powell, who rode Bahen in his four starts last campaign, again has the mount on Friday night.

Stablemate Black Rain joins Bahen in the race and Baertschiger said it might prove to be the gelding’s last run of his campaign.

“I’m a bit worried that he might have come to the end of his campaign,” said Baertschiger.

“We’re dropping him back in distance this time as he’s been pulling pretty hard in his races of late.

“He’s a bit of a hot-head, but coming back in distance and with a stronger pace he shouldn’t pull and hopefully he will finish the race off.

“But if he doesn’t, then I might ease up on him and give him a bit of a spell and bring him back in the New Year.”

A winner over 1400m in July, Black Rain has disappointed twice since, finishing eighth behind King Empire in a 1400m Class 3 Stakes on August 31 before running second last behind Tom in a 1400m Class 3 on September 21.

Claiming rider Jacky Low – formerly apprenticed to Baertschiger – will have the ride on Friday night.