Trainer Tony McEvoy is thrilled with the condition of three-year-old Azazel ahead of his 2017 Caulfield Guineas campaign, likely to begin at Flemington on Saturday afternoon.

Azazel has only made four appearances at the races so far, but showed plenty of ability amongst black type company during his two-year-old season and was sent to the paddock before he could take his place in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes field; his major target of autumn.

McEvoy told AAP that the horse was healthy when he decided to end his campaign early, but he believed that he had reached the end of his preparation and is pleased with his decision.

“I just wasn’t happy with him and I thought he had just come to the end of it,” McEvoy said.

“Whilst he wasn’t sore, he was just a little jarred up through his back and you don’t win Blue Diamonds unless you’re 100 per cent.

“I protected the horse and gave him a break.

“He had a little bit of work done on his throat. We went in and cauterised his throat and he’s come back really well.

“We could have got away without doing it, but I elected to do it because I thought it would help the horse.”

The Snitzel colt was a smart winner of Flemington barrier trial last week and McEvoy is confident that his ability will show throughout the forthcoming Spring Carnival.

“It looks like he has come back really nicely,” McEvoy said.

“He’s gone from a boy to a man in the brain and matured up a bit.

“Whilst I don’t think he’s a 1000-metre horse, being a gross colt I think the race will be really good for him going forward.

“I’m expecting him to be right in the finish.”

Trialling well prior to making his debut, Azazel immediately stamped himself as a colt to follow with a dominant win over 1000m at The Valley, before running a commendable fourth in the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m).

Resuming from a break for second in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) at Caulfield on Australia Day, Azazel was last seen finishing fourth in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on February 11^th.