Caulfield Cup winner Jameka has signalled she is on target for another exciting campaign with a pleasing jump-out on her home track.
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The Ciaron Maher-trained mare, who is being readied for her return in Saturday week's group 1 C F Orr Stakes, was on the speed throughout an 800m jump-out on Tuesday at Caulfield with her Cup-winning jockey Nick Hall aboard.
Jameka had stakes performed sprinter Super Cash on her outside during the heat, which included a number of other stakes-class performers.
With Jameka's trainer Ciaron Maher in New Zealand for the yearling sales, his assistant David Eustace oversaw the morning's work.
"Nick was very happy," Eustace said.
"You could see she was moving very well. She was sharp out of the gates and clearly wanted to be there. She was up and about and very enthusiastic which is what you want.
"She wasn't asked to do a whole lot late, she just strode through the line and she'll kick off next Saturday and the runs will bring her on after that."
After the CF Orr over 1400m, Jameka will head to the Peter Young Stakes, 1800m, before the group 1 Australian Cup, 2000m.
Eustace said they had been confident Jameka had come back well and Tuesday's hit-out was further proof of that.
"Her work has been pretty good and we were pretty confident she was in as good a form as ever," he said.
"That (jump-out) gives you a bit of confidence to say she is."
Jameka's six-run spring campaign was highlighted by her dominant Caulfield Cup victory, while she also won the Naturalism Stakes.
NOW the undisputed champion of the turf, Winx has put in another impressive barrier trial as she prepares to land her 14th-straight knockout blow.
The champion mare settled back in the field in Tuesday's 1000m-heat at Rosehill with Hugh Bowman bringing her wide in the straight where she made ground on the leaders Nancy and Alegria to finish third.
Trainer Chris Waller was pleased with the trial which he said was about getting the basics right ahead of her first run for the year in the group 2 Apollo Stakes, 1400m, at Randwick on Saturday week.
"We'll start to increase the intensity of her work probably at the end of the week and then back off for the last three or four days going into the Apollo Stakes," Waller said.
He said it was hard to see how she could improve from her devastating Cox Plate defence where she put a record eight lengths on the field.
"She's a horse in the peak of her career and as a result she can't be changed, she can't improve," Waller said.
"We've got to hope there are no budding champions on the way through to take her crown off her head."
After the Apollo Winx is set to step up to group 1 level for the Chipping Norton and George Ryder Stakes before the preparation peaks in the $4m Queen Elizabeth Stakes, 2000m, at Randwick on April 8.
After her autumn campaign during which she could extend her winning streak to 17, Waller is planning to try to win a third Cox Plate during spring and equal Kingston Town's unparalleled record before taking on Europe in 2018.