Group One-winning filly Commanding Jewel is ready to go back under saddle as trainer Leon Corstens begins to dream about a Cox Plate appearance later in the year.
Three-year-old Commanding Jewel hasn’t been seen since her victory in last year’s Group One Thousand Guineas.
She missed the autumn and winter carnivals due to a joint injury suffered at the start of the year.
Corstens has had Commanding Jewel back at his stable in country Victoria for the past couple of weeks and said a saddle would go on the filly for some trotting and cantering on Monday.
“She hasn’t had a saddle on since she’s been back in,” Corstens said.
“She has just been on the water walker and swimming but I’ll put a saddle on her on Monday.
“She looks enormous.”
Corstens said he would let the daughter of Commands guide him as to where they head in the spring but he would love to have a crack at the Cox Plate if she showed she could be effective at 2040m.
“She’ll be nominated for all the major races and hopefully she comes up to expectations like she did last time around,” Corstens said.
“I have never had a Cox Plate runner before. It would be great to get there.”
Commanding Jewel is a three-quarter sister to the unbeaten Atlantic Jewel and emulated her high-profile sibling last year when she took out the Thousand Guineas.
Corstens admitted it was frustrating having to miss the first half of 2013 with the talented filly but said they had no alternative other than to give her time in the paddock.
“In the long run hopefully it’s a blessing in disguise,” he said.
Zabeelionaire, the other Group One winner in the Corstens stable, will continue his Queensland campaign in the Ipswich Cup on Saturday and stay for the Caloundra Cup so long as the tracks are dry.
Last year’s South Australian Derby winner, Zabeelionaire has finished last in his past two starts in Queensland, including his sixth in the Eagle Farm Cup, but Corstens felt he did the wrong thing by running the horse on an unsuitable wet track.
