High-class sprinter Babylon Berlin put a challenging season behind her with an impressive return to the Te Awamutu trials on Tuesday.

Babylon Berlin has been a leading light for Ben Foote’s stable since she debuted as a three-year-old, performing consistently up to Group One level, including a trio of elite-level placings behind top-class mares Imperatriz and Levante in her five-year-old season.

The daughter of All Too Hard picked up where she left off in the new term, winning the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) last November before finishing second to Sacred Satono in the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m).

From there, the remainder of the season was far from smooth-sailing, with Babylon Berlin undergoing a wind operation following an uncharacteristic run in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m). After recovering from surgery, the mare then sustained an injury to her eye, ruling her out of the remaining features through the summer period.

On a fact-finding mission at Te Awamutu, Foote had simple instructions for senior hoop Vinnie Colgan and was thrilled to hear his report after Babylon Berlin comfortably won her Open 850m heat in the fastest time of the day.

“I just wanted to see if her heart was still in it really,” said Foote, who trains in partnership with son Ryan.

“I said to Vinnie to let her do her thing and see if she will pull you into it. He came back and said she felt a million dollars, he was really happy.

“It’s probably taken her a little while to turn a corner with her coat, but in the last couple of weeks in particular, she’s turned a corner and all the signs are really good.

“We think she’s back to her old self, so let’s hope so.”

Foote confirmed the mare would return to Te Rapa next Saturday and attempt to defend her crown in the Legacy Lodge Sprint before targeting the new Champion Sprint Series, which includes the Counties Bowl, Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m), Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) and the Railway across the coming months.