After eighteen months of frustration, connections of Masked Crusader believe they have finally identified the issue that been hindering their Group 1-winning sprinter, giving them cause for optimism this spring.

Co-trainer Michael Hawkes said extensive testing had revealed the rising seven-year-old to have a throat issue, which has subsequently been rectified through surgery.

Masked Crusader is now back in work preparing for a spring campaign and Hawkes is hopeful he can rediscover form.

“He’s had a throat operation so we’ve finally, hopefully found the key to him,” Michael Hawkes said.

“The last twelve or eighteen months we scratched our head a bit and we didn’t really know why and how. Once we investigated a lot more, we finally found it.

“Stranger things have happened and hopefully it is the turning point and why he’s been running disappointingly.

“We all know the ability he’s got, he’s got plenty of it. Hopefully now he can get it together.”

Masked Crusader finished a slashing second to Nature Strip in the 2021 The Everest but has struggled to consistently reproduce his best form since.

He did show glimpses last spring without winning, including running a close third behind Lost And Running and Mazu in the Premiere Stakes and being beaten just over three lengths in Giga Kick’s Everest.

Hawkes said Masked Crusader had returned in great shape physically and while no timeframe had been put on his return, he was pleasing the team.

“He’s a little bit away yet,” Hawkes said.

“But there’s no rush, we will build him up nice and easy and he’ll be back at the trials soon.

“This prep, it’s all about just trying to win a race, trying to get a win on the board and get his form back.”

Masked Crusader hasn’t raced since finishing down the track in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley in March.