And while that was nearly four years ago, his trainer Bob Donat is just glad to see the now eight-year-old gelding back in action at Bendigo on Thursday following a 650-day gap between starts.

Tatunka - a three-time metropolitan placegetter - has not raced since finishing fourth in a benchmark 70 event on the opening day of the Swan Hill Cup Carnival in June 2022.

He has been sidelined since with some nagging ligament issues.

Donat said a combination of those injuries and other circumstances had kept Tatunka out of action for longer than he had anticipated.

"He had a couple of little strained ligaments and he was only supposed to be out for about four months," he said.

"I got him back in work once, but he was a little bit scratchy as he is getting on a bit - just a bit of wear and tear.

"But it was just a bit longer than I had anticipated. I had other things going, so I thought a bit longer wouldn't hurt him.

"He's a bit of a winter horse, so it was too late to get him back in for the winter last year, so I held off.

"But it was nothing drastic. He's just a bit like me - he's got a lot of niggles."

Tatunka, a winner on debut at Kyneton in February 2019, has been an honest and largely reliable performer for Donat, producing five wins and nine placings in 34 starts for career earnings of close to $250,000.

His maiden win elicited an offer of $170,000 from Hong Kong interests, but with Bob's wife Bron battling cancer at the time, the couple decided to retain the horse for sentimental value.

"We were looking for a lift in spirits at the time, so the money was not going to help," Donat said.

"We got a much bigger buzz out of the horse winning and it brightened Bron up.

"I think we're ahead."

The highlight of his career, besides his three straight wins, would be his stirring third in the $500,000 Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) in 2020, which added $45,000 to his earnings.

Tatunka will contest the 1300m benchmark 64 on Thursday/ He will be ridden by Will Gordon and will carry the top-weight of 62.5kg.

Second in recent jump-outs at Benalla and Bendigo, Donat said he would undoubtedly need the run.

"When you see him in the mounting yard, he'll look fantastic. He actually looks a bit too good," he said.

"He's a bit pretty at the moment.

"It did rain out here (on Tuesday), but I was hoping for a bit more.

"I am happy with him though, he's just a bit big in condition as I didn't want to overtax him.

"He has been good to us. He was only a $2500, bred out of our mare.

"Running third in that half-million dollar race on Oaks Day when Damien Oliver rode him was a real thrill.

"Hopefully, he can go okay (on Thursday) - enough for me to press on with him in the winter."

Tatunka's return will add to an exciting day for the Donats, with the stablemate Goyathlay set to make his race-day debut in the 1300m three-year-old maiden.

Named after the legendary Apache chief Geronimo, Goyathlay is a full brother to Tatunka, by Redente, out of the former Donat-trained mare Paramytha.

The gelding will head into his first race on the back of a pair of nice jump-outs, including a win on a heavy 8 at Ballarat last month and a third at Bendigo on a good 4 this month.

"He goes okay, but as long as he puts in a good run, we'll be happy," Donat said.

"I'm not expecting a miracle.

"Will Gordon has been riding him a fair bit. The trials have been good, but remember, they are only trials."

Donat hopes the bloodlines can serve him well again with Goyathlay.

"I won six races with Tatunka's mother (Paramytha) and six with her mother (Black Pepper), so this is our third generation out of her," he said.

"Black Pepper was owned by Les Gillies, from Gillies Pies. I bought her off him after she finished racing and I've bred out of her over the years.

"They've all been reasonably good out of that breed - not world beaters - but pretty good.

"We have had a lot of fun with them."