Michael Hickmott’s two-pronged Vic assault

Michael Hickmott will look to add to his already-impressive record in Melbourne this season when he sends to horses across the border this weekend.

The Murray Bridge horseman will run Irish mare Spirit Of Camelot at Saturday’s Caulfield Heath meeting after Stakes-placed filly Ad Astra contests a maiden race at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

Hickmott’s seven runners in Melbourne this season have yielded two wins, including a Group 3 success with Fancify, and three minor placings, a record that Hickmott is keen to enhance.

“We just map out when they’re right to come to Melbourne and when they’re not and we’re looking to build on that,” he said.

Spirit Of Camelot has been nominated for two races with Hickmott leaning towards keeping her to her own sex in the $130,000 benchmark 78 for fillies and mares over 1500m.

The daughter of Camelot, who does not naturally turn four until March 16, will be chasing a winning hat-trick after restricted wins over 1400m at Morphettville on November 9 and November 30.

“She’s a filly that I’ve got copious amounts of time for, I just love her, and she did a really good job in her first preparation when we went to the well one too many times,” Hickmott said.

“First-up it was a rock-hard track at Murray Bridge and it wasn’t the right type of race and she just took a couple of weeks to come through that.

“I thought she was pretty good her last two, she was good on the clock, and this is a nice stepping stone going forward.”

Saturday will be her fourth start of the campaign but Hickmott has no plans to tip her out with the intention to build her race-craft and rating over summer.

“We’ll just keep poking through nice and gradually and head towards the autumn in Melbourne or Adelaide,” he said.

“She’s certainly going to make a significantly better grade than a benchmark 78 I guess.”

Ad Astra is also entered for races at Caulfield and Gawler, but Hickmott considers the $60,000 female maiden over 1200m the right first-up option for the daughter of Tassort, who finished second in the Listed Cinderella Stakes on debut.

“The easier option would be to stay here and go to Gawler, but I think that it will certainly do her the world of good to have a trip away for seasoning mentally rather than physically,” he said on Monday afternoon.

“That way, if I chose to travel her again later in the preparation for a better race, she’s already been exposed to it.

“Her gallop this morning was quite nice here at Murray Bridge and she’s certainly heading in the right direction.”