Commanding Jewel pleases in jump-out

Friday 1 August 2014, 1:55pm

The Cox Plate is the ultimate goal for Commanding Jewel but trainer Leon Corstens will not make a decision on the mare's comeback race for another couple of weeks.

Commanding Jewel won a jump-out at Flemington on Friday in a heat which included Golden Slipper winner Mossfun who trialled nicely for second.

Corstens, who has formed a training partnership with his son Troy, was delighted with the Group One winner's trial.

He plans to give the five-year-old a second jump-out down the straight at Flemington.

"Then I will start assessing where we go and what I do," Corstens said.

"But I think she is going well and she looks good. So it's full steam ahead."

The lightly-raced and injury-plagued Commanding Jewel had a couple of trials and an exhibition gallop earlier this year with a view to a comeback in the Group One Tattersall's Tiara in Brisbane in June, but those plans were shelved.

The mare was not going as well as Corstens would have liked and he felt wet tracks were a contributing factor.

"I just thought I would take it easy and wait for the spring and give her every possible chance," he said.

Commanding Jewel will be nominated for the Cox Plate.

"If we think she is going to run a mile and a quarter we will definitely aim that way," Corstens said.

The training partnership has Zabeelionaire and Alpha Proxima lining up at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Zabeelionaire finished a close third in the Banjo Paterson Series Final (2600m) last start.

He had been schooling over hurdles at Flemington under the care of Troy Corstens at Flemington ahead of that run and has since won a hurdle trial at Cranbourne.

Corstens cast his eye over Zabeelionaire on Friday and said he was hopeful he could break through for his first win since the 2012 South Australian Derby in the Melbourne Signage Concepts Handicap (2500m).

"I hadn't seen him for a week or so and I thought he looked absolutely tremendous," Corstens said.

"I'd have to say we've got a great chance tomorrow."

– AAP

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