Champion Explicit Set For Surprise Racing Return

JASON Thompson says Explicit is like a kid in a lolly shop now that he is back in training and preparing to return to racing in a 515m FFA at Sandown on Thursday night.

Thompson explained his reasoning for returning the Bernardo-Brueghelino superstar to the track.

"When he retired, he was working good at stud, but you could tell he wasn't entirely happy within himself," Thompson said.

"All our stud dogs are worked every day.

FIELDS AND FORM SANDOWN PARK THURSDAY NIGHT

"Most stud dogs are retired after a long racing career, or after injury that prevents them coming back to the track.

"But, with Explicit, none of that was the case. He'd had a light racing career, was perfectly sound and he took to the new career fine.

"In fact he has mated 40 bitches in the nine weeks he has been at stud.

"But, we've had stud dogs for 30 years, and it wasn't long before I picked up he wasn't real happy to be retired.

"He'd been up for 12 months and after The Phoenix he needed a good four to five weeks off anyway.

"Once we started trialling him again, he just thrived, he came right back to his self and his stud work is even better as well.

"He's had six trials and they are as good, if not better than before he retired."

Jason said he had raced and worked a stud dog at the same time only once before and that was with Awesome Assassin decades ago.

"I've got no doubt he's the most used dog at stud in Australia at the moment, and only last Saturday Regal Twist produced his first ever litter, seven pups," Thompson said.

"He had two other litters over the weekend and two more are expected in the next few days."

EXPLICIT AT STUD

Thompson says he has a plan with Explicit and his comeback to racing but will finalise that once he sees how the dog returns on Thursday night.

"No, it will not be the Golden Easter Egg," he said. "He will not go back to Wentworth Park."

Explicit has raced 37 times for 27 wins, five placings and earnings of $1.978 million.

"We will keep going with both his race career and his stud career," he added.

"There is no pressure on the dog, but it is very exciting to have him back on the track.

"He's only just turned three, and here we have Tim Zoo and Flying Zulu almost a year older than him and they are racing fantastic against the best there is."

Explicit has drawn his favoured eight box against a slick FFA field on Thursday night at Sandown Park.