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Don Carlo hasn’t missed a beat since his bold showing on Saturday.

The four-year-old made his open class debut in the Listed Pegasus Stakes Handicap (1000m) and from an outside gate he was forced over extra ground before finishing runner-up to Enzo’s Lad.

Don Carlo will jump from an inside barrier in Wednesday’s Gr.3 Lindauer Stewards’ Stakes Handicap (1200m) at Riccarton to give the gelding every chance to go one better.

“He got beaten a length and a half and if we’d got the run the winner had then it might have been a wee bit different,” trainer Michael Daly said.

“We were out four wide and pulling all the way and when he got to the front he got a bit lost. He must have covered two more lengths than Enzo’s Lad.

“Anyway, he’s come through the run super. There’s always a bit of a question mark about backing up, but he hadn’t run for a month so you could expect some natural improvement.”

Don Carlo has won half of his 10 starts and has proved versatile as far as underfoot conditions go.

“He’s a very sound horse with a lovely action, firmer tracks don’t bother him,” Daly said.

He has yet to confirm a summer programme, but another strong showing will earn Don Carlo a nomination for the Gr.1 JR& N Berkett Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham in January.