The grand old gentleman of world racing, Red Cadeaux, is relishing life back in Melbourne as he prepares for the Australian Cup at Flemington.

The three time Melbourne Cup runner-up who is visiting Australia for the fifth time, has had his first serious hit-out since arriving on February 14 at his second home, the Werribee racecourse where he is undergoing quarantine.

Red Cadeaux is never one to break the clock in track gallops, but english trainer Ed Dunlop's travelling foreman Robin Trevor-Jones says he is in perfect shape ahead of the Group One Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 14.

After running second to Perfectionist in the Melbourne Cup, Red Cadeaux was last seen when sixth in the Hong Kong Vase (2400m) at Sha Tin in December.

Trevor-Jones said he expected Red Cadeaux to blow a bit more than he did after Monday's work-out, his first gallop on turf since Hong Kong.

"He's a horse that you train very similar for any sort of race," Trevor-Jones said.

"You can't go putting bullet work into him because he's a horse that wouldn't handle that sort of work and that's why we gave him that long, progressing work."

After walking a lap of Werribee, Red Cadeaux cantered over 2000m, speeding up marginally over the last 600m.

The only concern Trevor-Jones has is the possibility of a firm track for the Australian Cup which could jeopardise Red Cadeaux's progress to Sydney for The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill and the Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick.

"If the track is the same sort of ground as we get for the Melbourne Cup it wouldn't worry me," Trevor-Jones said.

"For him, pulling up after the race if it was very firm, that could find him a little bit sore and then we would have to work it out what we do."

Trevor-Jones is hoping Red Cadeaux can leave for Sydney the week after the Australian Cup to prepare for the BMW on March 28 and the Sydney Cup on April 11.

"We would like to go around the Tuesday or the Wednesday after the Australian Cup, so long as the Japanese have fulfilled all their quarantine requirements," Trevor-Jones said.

Four Japanese horses arrived in Sydney on Thursday and are in quarantine at Canterbury Racecourse ahead of the autumn carnival.