Connections of King Of Light have high hopes he will blossom into one of Australia’s best four-year-olds this preparation, which begins this weekend in the Listed $125,000 Idyllic Prince Stakes (1300m) at Belmont.

The chestnut emerged as WA’s best three-year-old with five-straight victories last year including the WA Guineas before tasting defeat as favourite in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes against older rivals.

Despite not racing since, trainer Dan Morton gave the gelding a winter training programme with only a trial before this campaign, which will target the spring carnival.

“I didn’t want to leave him in a paddock for nine months, so we gave him a preparation block midway through (the year) to tick him over,” Morton said.

“It got him right through to that trial and then we put him aside again until this prep.

“We’ve kept it up to him gently and I feel like he’s at a good point of fitness to give us something to work with.”

“They have to continue to improve. He came off a high benchmark last go around, all except for the Northerly.

“But he’s matured beautifully and I’m really looking forward to seeing how far he can get.”

King Of Light will wear a cross-over nose band for the first time in hopes that he will race truly after laying in when scoring a recent Lark Hill trial win.

Providing the hot $1.60 fancy wins on Saturday, he will press towards a grand aim of the $10 million Golden Eagle at Sydney’s Randwick circuit on October 31.

“BJ (Ryan, racing manager) and myself mapped out a pretty ambitious plan for him in the east,” Morton said.

“He’s got to show up and some. It’s no good kidding ourselves and taking a horse just because (we can).

“If he goes great - which I do expect - and looks the goods and comes through the race good, I’m keen to put him on a plane and get him across to Sydney with the Golden Eagle being the grand final race for him over there.

“There’s every opportunity I’ll get to trial him once, possibly twice. There are good options for him and a few different options (before the Golden Eagle).

“That’s end of rainbow stuff. He’s got to continue to improve and go great on Saturday.

“I really think he will. He’s got a beautiful demeanour about him and he’s definitely the right sort of horse to try and do it (travel) with.”

Meanwhile, at Randwick this weekend, Sheza Alibi ($3.50) will press her own claims for the Golden Eagle when she contests the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) and takes on Autumn Glow ($1.75f).

Sheza Alibi accepted to start in the headline event, surprising many by taking on megastar mare Autumn Glow so readily this early in the year.