Skelm is stepping up what Coghills Creek trainer Terry Kelly hopes will be a campaign which culminates in a Melbourne Cup start.
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Kelly saddles up Skelm in the Lockdown Legends Handicap, 2040m, at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
This will be his second start since May and first since a midfield finish at The Valley on August 1.
Kelly is yet to have a Melbourne Cup runner in his long training career and he is going to give the six-year-old every opportunity to change that.
With some uncertainty about how many overseas stayers will make the trip to Melbourne for the spring, the chances of homegrown runners getting into the Cup field appear better than usual.
Skelm sowed the seed for a Melbourne Cup start with a third in the Mornington Cup, 2400m, in March and fourth in the Ramsden, 2800m, at Flemington in May.
He shares the minimum weight of 56kg in Saturday's assignment and will be ridden by Dean Yendall.
