Michael Rodd is happy to come off the bench to partner speedy filly Maroon Bay in Saturday's AR Creswick Series Heat at Flemington.

Dwayne Dunn was aboard the three-year-old when she finished third when resuming at Mornington on May 28 but he will ride at the Ipswich Cup meeting on Saturday.

Hawkes Racing booked Rodd to partner Maroon Bay in Saturday's race, which will be her first down the Flemington `Straight Six' course.

Maroon Bay's three-quarter sister Jolie Bay ran second to Nechita at Group One level in the 2012 Coolmore Stud Stakes at her only start on the Flemington straight track.

Maroon Bay went down as a $2.60 favourite at Mornington but Rodd said extra fitness and the firmer Flemington surface would aid her chances.

"She will definitely have improved on her first-up run the other day and on a better track at Flemington, she'll be harder to beat," Rodd said.

Bookmakers agree Maroon Bay is capable of improving on her last run, installing her as a $5.50 favourite behind the Mark Kavanagh-trained West Africa.

Maroon Bay defeated West Africa by four lengths when the pair raced at Moonee Valley late last year, which followed the latter's briliant nine-length win on debut at Kilmore.

Rodd combined with the Leon Corstens stable for a win at Sandown on Wednesday and will again team up with the trainer for three rides at Flemington, including the Group One winner Zabeelionaire in the third heat of the Banjo Paterson Series (2500m).

Zabeelionaire hasn't won since his 2012 South Australian Derby triumph and predicted rain is set to hamper the five-year-old's bid to break his winning drought at Flemington.

Rodd has been unplaced from two rides on Zabeelionaire but says the stallion is going well enough to figure in the finish of his $100,000 assignment.