Reigning Melbourne Cup winner Almandin pleased connections with a strong second place finish when resuming in Saturday's MSC Signs Handicap (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
Racing in the first three after turning out of the home straight, Almandin ($10) pressed for the lead around the home turn before being run down by Pacodali ($2.90 fav) to be beaten three-quarters of a length, conceding the winner 6.5kg.
Almandin was racing for the first time since winning last year's Melbourne Cup and part-owner Nick Williams said he was satisfied with the effort.
"I think that was about what we were expecting," Williams said. "He did have 61kg which meant he was thrown in under the weight scale for a quality handicap so you'd have wanted to see him run well.
"Ben (Melham) gave him a lovely ride, got him into a nice rhythm and he finished it off well.
"For a first-up effort you could not be happier."
Williams said his father and racing manager Malcolm McLaren will plot a path to the Melbourne Cup.
"He'll probably have a light campaign into the race but Dad and Malcolm will work that out," Williams said,
"He's an eight-year-old now and he's going to get a lot more weight in the Cup this year, probably around 56kg," Williams said.
"He had 51kg last year so it's going to be a big ask and not many do it. The horse will tell us how he's going and it will work out from there."
Foundation ($41) led at a solid clip and stayed on for third, beaten 1 1/2-lengths.
