It’s only baby steps, but for trainer Mitchell Pateman he liked what he saw from Protégé at Belmont trials on Monday.

In a positive sign for the future, Protege took out heat six from Choice Bid and is primed to launch a low key return to racing in the next couple of weeks.

Mitchell Pateman said Protégé is showing the same type of signs that saw him produce a spectacular four length win on debut at Belmont over a year ago.

Such was the nature of Protege’s victory it had Pateman up and about thinking he had an Ascot carnival horse on his hands.

But as eye-catching as Protégé was first up he couldn’t replicate it 18-days later when he faded to seventh and beat just one runner home.

After almost a year off the scene, Pateman attempted to bring Protégé back in June for his second campaign, but again had to abandon plans when the four-year failed to inspire in a barrier trial.

Protégé underwent surgery not long after his unsuccessful trial, but Pateman is optimistic he’s recovered from that and can make a successful return.

“He seems to be back somewhere near his best or getting back to his best anyhow,” Pateman told The Races WA.

“It was a massive improvement on his last trial.

“He went out had a spell, came back, but still wasn’t right after that trial.

“He ended up having a throat operation, but has come back from that.

“He’s definitely better since he’s had that and it wasn’t a normal, major throat operation.

“He wasn’t gone in the wind or anything, he just had a real slight issue.

“Now that we have fixed that he is a whole lot happier and back to going like he used to be.

“I think he lost a lot of confidence last prep when he wasn’t right.

“His trackwork last prep was horrible and his trackwork this prep is back to being elite again.

“He’s back somewhere where we thought he would be early days.

“He will go to something easy somewhere, a class 1, to try and build his confidence.

“If he looks like he is back to his best we might go back to Saturday company.”

Pateman said Almighty Class and Feels Playful will headline his team for Ascot’s first meeting of the season on Saturday.