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Promising stayer Balmaurice will make a low-key return to racing at Doomben on Wednesday ahead of a possible Queensland Derby assault.
Balmaurice – a Jim Byrne mount – will launch his TAB Queensland Racing Carnival campaign in the Class 2 Plate over 1350 metres.
The training partnership of Rex Lipp and Nicholas Hahn have a good opinion of the son of Maurice but are not expecting any flash comeback on a rain-soaked Doomben.
Doomben was a Heavy 9 at acceptance time on Monday and Balmaurice has failed in all four starts on soft tracks.
"He's running and if he can find the line well, he'll head towards the Queensland Derby," Lipp said.
Balmaurice has been in work for more than three months since finishing second to star filly Gypsy Goddess in the Group 2 Grand Prix over 2100 metres at Eagle Farm in mid-December.
"He's been going well in his work and has had a few jump outs and a trial," Lipp said.
"He's a very promising stayer and Gypsy Goddess who beat him in the Grand Prix is pretty smart as we all know.
"I'm not expecting him to win first-up as he's being set for the Queensland Derby but he's got to show us he's good enough to head that way."
Balmaurice is a half-brother to the Lipp and Hahn-trained Torun who was an impressive winner over 1200 metres at Ipswich last week.
Torun was originally trained by Lipp but started his career with Sydney's Joe Pride before finding his way back to Toowoomba after winning once in eight starts in the south.
"I've got a very high opinion of Torun who I used to train before he went south," Lipp said.
"Balmaurice also won his first race over 1200 metres at Eagle Farm and has turned out to be a promising stayer."
Balmaurice is by Japanese shuttle stallion Maurice and gave him his first Australian winner when he claimed a two-year-old maiden at Eagle Farm in January last year.
Balmaurice and Torun are both out of Bad Du Siecle who is a half-sister to European Stakes winner Buenos Dias whose dam Buenos Aires is a half-sister to 1997 Melbourne Cup winner Might And Power.
