As he left Hong Kong in April, New Zealand trainer Bruce Wallace was resigned to the impending retirement of Mufhasa who had suffered a bleeding attack in the Champions Mile.

Wallace took over the training of the dual New Zealand Horse of the Year from Stephen McKee in January and brought the then eight-year-old to Australia for a campaign which culminated in a close second to Pierro in the George Ryder Stakes.

The team was confident ahead of the Hong Kong race but shattered afterwards.

However, Wallace hadn't taken into account the recuperative powers of the gelding who has won 10 Group One races including two in Australia.

He is scheduled to line up in the Makfi Stakes (1400m) for the fourth time at Hastings on August 31 and Wallace says if his trackwork is a guide, he can still be a force.

"It's alway hard when they are this age and I really thought after Hong Kong he would be retired," Wallace said.

"But his owner David Archer said he wanted to give him another go and the way he is bouncing around, you wouldn't know how old he is.

"He galloped this morning (Tuesday) and he is really bright. He looks fantastic and is full of himself.

"He will go to the Makfi at the end of the month and we'll see what happens after that.

"Obviously at his age and after a bleeding attack, you never know. But apart from a few aches and pains that come with his age, you can't tell how old he is.

"He is just happy being in work, much happier than if he was doing nothing.

"At some stage soon he will retire and my job is to make sure he retires sound."

Mufhasa, who races as King Mufhasa in Australia where he is a dual Group One winner of the 2011 Toorak Handicap and the 2012 Futurity Stakes, won the Makfi in 2011 and finished fourth to subsequent Cox Plate winner Ocean Park last year.