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Statham is ahead of the game as he closes in on a return to racing.

The Group-winning sprinter produced an encouraging performance at last week’s Avondale trials to add momentum to his upcoming spring campaign.

“He took us by surprise, he’s further forward than we thought,” said Scott Lucock, who trains the speedster with Sally Gillespie.

“We were very happy with him, he won pretty well. He coped with the ground and I would rather trial him on a heavy track, it saves some wear and tear on his legs.

“It’s the best he’s ever spelled and he’s probably a month ahead of where he’s been in past years.”

Statham is likely to resume in the open sprint at Ruakaka on Saturday with Lucock to recommend to his owners that apprentice Tayla Wenn, who handled the gelding in his trial win, take the ride.

“We’d like to claim the three kilos – we’ve never done that before, but with his rating he’s getting between 58 and 60 kilos and he’s going to be giving too much weight away to good horses,” he said.

“He’s not the easiest horse to ride, but he goes well for someone he knows and Tayla did a very good job at the trials.”

The winner of six of his 28 starts, Statham beat Irish Moon and Ryan Mark in the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap last season before he finished fifth in the Gr.1 Railway Stakes and sixth in the Gr.1 The Telegraph.

“We haven’t got any set plans at this stage for him, we’ll just see how he goes,” Lucock said.