Uncommon James’s campaign is just a week away from lifting a notch with the exciting Queensland gelding to return to the trials next Tuesday.
The four-year-old son of Cable Bay is being prepared for Melbourne’s feature handicap sprints and co-trainer Matthew Hoysted said he would head south after next week’s workout.
“He’ll have his first little trial up here in Queensland before heading down to Melbourne and he’ll have his second trial in Melbourne prior to a first-up run in the Rubiton,” Hoysted said.
“Then it will be two weeks into the Oakleigh Plate and all going well, as long as his form warrants it and is stacking up, it’ll be two weeks into the Newmarket.”
The $300,000 Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) will be run at Sandown on February 11 with the $750,000 Group 1 Oakleigh Plate over the same course and distance on February 25 with the $1.5 million Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 11.
Uncommon James has not started since taking his record to five wins from six starts, after a narrow debut second placing, with a brilliant win in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 13.
A minor leg injury brought a premature end to the campaign, but Hoysted said that had proven no hindrance in this preparation.
“It (injury) was more blown out of proportion than what it was. We obviously had to let everyone know that we were pulling up stumps with him, but he had a minor knock and had a minor bit of swelling to a fetlock that within 24, 48 hours was completely down to normal.
“He’d been up a while off the back of a long spell, so we just erred on the side of caution to give him a nice break, which he’s had, and he’s had no issues at all.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way that he’s prepped up,” he said.