Epic Dragon (right) will begin their winter preparations at Caulfield tomorrow

Trainer John Sadler’s Dubawi Gold and Epic Dragon will both begin their winter preparations at Caulfield tomorrow as they make their way towards the Winter Championship Final in July.

Epic Dragon will be first-up tomorrow, after having almost eight months off from racing due to complications associated with a gelding operation.

Sadler’s stable manager, Troy Corstens, believes Epic Dragon will not be at his best in tomorrow’s race.

“He’s a lovely horse but I reckon they might be a touch nippy for him over the 1000 metres,” Corstens said.

“He had some terrible complications after he was gelded and it really knocked him about for about four months.”

Corstens said that the stable was lucky to still have Epic Dragon, as his complications were life threatening.

“He looked terrible,” Corstens said.

“He looked as though he was about to die which he probably was if it wasn’t for the efforts of Maxine Brain, the vet at Kilmore.

“He pulled through but it’s been a very slow process getting him back to the races.”

The stable manager said that the three-year-old has now recovered completely.

“He’s fantastic now and as long as he’s finishing the race off we’ll be happy but we don’t expect him to win tomorrow.”

Corstens rates Dubawi Gold as the stable’s best chance tomorrow.

“We brought him in with the aim of having him running over the winter period because he does like the sting out of the ground,” he said.

“In saying that he’s a really tenacious horse and I don’t think he’d know how to put in a bad run.”

The two horses will be auditioning for a start in the Winter Championship Final on July 9 at Flemington.

“John (Sadler) and I have discussed having a crack at the Winter Championship Final for these two horses if we can get them into it,” Corstens said.