Lightly-tried winter galloper Mr Luigi is closing in on a return to racing.

The Darci Brahma gelding has fashioned a tidy record from limited opportunities and he is expected to make further progress through the grades in the coming months.

Mr Luigi was successful over 850m at the Te Awamutu trials last week following a winning run in a 900m heat at Ellerslie on May 2.

"After he won at Auckland we were stuck in traffic and he kicked a plate off in the float," trainer Peter Lock said.

"It took him about three weeks to come right and he got away on me a bit so that's the only reason he had another trial.

"He always tries so hard and he needs a good grounding before he resumes. He pulled up well after the Waipa trial and (rider) Alysha Collett was happy with him, she said he needed one more good hit-out and he'd be ready to go."

Lock said he had yet to set Mr Luigi's winter programme in place.

"He had a knee operation to remove a bone chip after his third start, and while he's been good since, it's always in the back of your mind so I have kept him in cotton wool.

"He likes bad ground and I know he's a six-year-old, but he's only now got to the stage where the penny has dropped with him and he's relaxing in his races.

"I would love to have a crack at the Winter Cup with him this time around so we'll wait and see what happens."

Mr Luigi has three wins and has yet to miss a cheque in his 11 appearances.