Trainer Natalie McCall took no chances Lady Echelon would miss a vital spring carnival lead-up run when she nominated the mare in two states on Saturday.

Lady Echelon will resume in the Business Success Group Open (1350m) at Doomben in her home state but McCall had also entered the consistent mare for the Golden Pendant at Rosehill, in Sydney.

“I threw her in the Sydney race just in case the race here was abandoned,” McCall said.

“Fields have been a bit light on here and I got caught the previous week with another of my horses when the race was abandoned.”

“She needs to have a run before her spring campaign and we couldn’t afford to miss the run.”

“As it turned out the 1600 metre open here was abandoned but the 1350 metre race held up so things worked out OK,” McCall said.

Lady Echelon only has to resume in her usual good style to be on a Melbourne bound float on Tuesday with McCall’s Stradbroke Handicap winner River Lad.

The mare hasn’t started since finishing unplaced in the Listed Speak Chief Stakes on May 31.

However, she ran second at her previous four starts and had little luck in any of them.

“If she comes up as well as we hope this time there are plenty of Listed and Group Three type races for her in Melbourne,” McCall said.

“But if she doesn’t we might switch her campaign to the greys race at Flemington.”

“She handles wet tracks and her wins have been from 1200 to 1600 metres so there is plenty of scope with her.”

Lady Echelon is by Top Echelon who is also the sire of River Lad who has done well in the build-up to his race return.

River Lad, who hasn’t started since winning the Group One Stradbroke on June 7, is likely to resume in the Gilgai Stakes at Flemington on Saturday week.

McCall had originally looked at running him in Sunday’s Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield but decided to give him another week.

She is also considering taking River Lad to Perth for the rich sprints in November-December.

It has been a big year for McCall who became the first woman to train a Stradbroke winner and she also won the Wayne Wilson Medal for Queensland racing personality of the year.

“Things have been going OK and I just hope it continues,” she said.