He came within a millimetre of ending his career last August but now African Pulse is only a couple of runs away from the stakes win he deserves.

African Pulse stamped his class and authority on the Bert Bryant Handicap in his return to racing at Caulfield on Saturday, winning clearly and setting the stage for a shot at the Group One Goodwood Handicap.

The win came after a freak accident while African Pulse was undergoing treatment on a magnetopulse machine last August.

Trainer Mike Moroney said the horse inexplicably took fright and as he spun around the electrical lead to the machine wrapped around a leg.

"It just got tighter and tighter and nearly cut right through his tendon," Moroney said.

"By the time we got him free he was a bit of a mess."

African Pulse underwent a delicate operation to stitch the tendon back together and nine months later he's almost as good as new.

"Everything seems alright with him, you've got to hope it stays that way," Moroney said.

African Pulse, the $2.50 favourite, won his fifth race from only 10 starts, beating Amaethon ($17) by 2-1/4 lengths with a long neck to General Truce ($20) in third.

Moroney said he was particularly impressed with the way African Pulse hit the line without being knocked around.

"He really kept running right to the line but at the same time he had a softish sort of win," he said.

While the obvious course for a horse of African Pulse's class would be to find a race at the Sydney autumn carnival, but a previous failure at Randwick has influenced Moroney to stick to left-handed tracks for now.

He has identified a similar race to Saturday's at Caulfield for African Pulse's next run, before tackling the Goodwood at Morphettville on May 11.