Mark Zahra aboard Levendi after their ATC Derby win (Image: Bradley Photos)
Levendi's spring campaign will be geared towards enhancing his value as a stallion according to trainer Peter Gelagotis, who believes the glamour colt can stamp himself as a weight-for-age star.
The Moe horseman reported the son of Pierro had come through his thrilling ATC Derby (2400m) win in super order and was already en route to Victoria where he'll be spelled ahead of the spring.
Derby winners traditionally train on to be Cups contenders and while many have him pegged as a leading Caulfield Cup chance - CrownBet elevated Levendi to a $17 second elect after Saturday's win - Gelagotis is keeping all options open, including a potential clash with Winx in the Cox Plate (2040m).
"He's already left Sydney, we put him on the truck this morning so he'll get home, go straight for a spell and we'll do it all again in the spring," Gelagotis said.
"Personally, I would like to give him a weight-for-age preparation and I'd love to win another feature race at a mile to 2000m.
"We don't want him to be put in the category of just being a dead set mile-and-a-half horse because we know he's more than that.
"I'd be thinking more a Cox Plate and the typical weight-for-age lead-up races towards that.
"I like the horse better on bigger tracks personally so I'm not sure that he's a Caulfield horse but at the end of the day he'll tell us where he's going to be."
Fresh from a fruitful fortnight for the stable, Gelagotis also said reflected on the performance of Illustrious Lad to finish fifth, four lengths off Godolphin's Jungle Cat, in last month's G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) in Dubai.
The son of I Am Invincible will complete several weeks of mandatory quarantine before returning to Australia for another bid at feature races during the spring.
"I thought he was outstanding," he said.
"He's got to do three weeks of quarantine in Dubai then another two weeks back here in Victoria.
"From there I would think a little six-week break would give him time to rejuvenate and hopefully we'll have him ready for the spring.
"It's something that I wouldn't hesitate to do again, I was really captured by the unity that exists over there and it was just an incredible experience."