As Wandjina prepares to step on the world stage at Royal Ascot, the colt which came close to beating him in the Australian Guineas is starting his build-up to the spring.

Alpine Eagle emerged as a potential star during the late summer and early autumn in Melbourne with a fast-finishing Group Two win before a half neck second to Wandjina in the Group One Guineas.

Kermadec, a luckless fourth in the Guineas, went on to win the Doncaster Mile.

Trainer Tony McEvoy has major race ambitions for Alpine Eagle.

"He's been back in for about three or four weeks," McEvoy said.

"He put on 45 kilos which tells me that he needed the spell and I'm really pleased.

"I haven't quite sorted his preparation out but his goals will be Cox Plate or Caulfield Cup."

McEvoy won the 2003 Cox Plate with Fields Of Omagh when he was head trainer for Lindsay Park while David Hayes was training in Hong Kong.

Alpine Eagle, a colt by High Chaparral, has had six starts for four wins and two placings.

His most recent campaign netted two wins in Adelaide before his Group Two Autumn Classic win.

He came from back in the field in the Australian Guineas and made ground in the straight only for the Gai Waterhouse-trained Wandjina to fend him off over the concluding stages.

Wandjina will run in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on Saturday.

McEvoy believes Alpine Eagle could be as good a horse as any he has trained and is convinced the best is ahead of him.

"If you look at a lot of the top three-year-olds on the Timeform ratings, a lot of those have retired and gone to stud," he said.

"The form after his Guineas held strong so I'm very excited going forward."