John Sadler’s fears Linton’s campaign may be over have been allayed with the Group One winner entered to race at Caulfield ahead of next month’s Hong Kong International Mile.

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Linton and fellow Group One winner Platelet, who both missed their respective races on Saturday, headline 25 nominations for this week’s Group Three Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Stradbroke Handicap winner Linton was ruled out of Saturday’s Group One Emirates due to an elevated temperature while Platelet was withdrawn from the VRC Sprint by stewards after she was determined to be at Darren Weir’s Warrnambool property and not Ballarat as per her stable return.

The clerical error cost her a place in the field because it made it logistically impossible to subject her to the same security precautions as the other runners.

Linton has bounced back quickly from whatever ailed him to keep Hong Kong International Mile plans in place.

“It was disappointing to have missed the Emirates but the best thing was that I thought he was gone for the rest of the spring at the particular time when he got crook,” Sadler said.

“But he’s very fit and well and he’s responded well to treatment and he’s back on his game again.

“He’s bouncing again this morning.”

Sadler said Linton probably needed to run on Saturday to ensure he was in the right shape to go to the Hong Kong International meeting on December 8.

“His owner is very keen for him to go to Hong Kong and run in the Hong Kong Mile, and I’d prefer to just make sure he’s in good form before we go,” Sadler said.

“So we’ll probably run in the 1200 metre weight-for-age race on Saturday and that should just clean him up nicely for the Hong Kong Mile.”

Sadler said no decision had been made on who would ride Linton in Hong Kong.

Stablemate Henwood has been nominated to back up in the Group Three Sandown Stakes (1400m) on Saturday after his second to Longport in an open handicap over the same distance at Flemington.

“I thought his run was terrific on Saturday,” Sadler said.

Meanwhile, unbeaten mare Vain Queen has returned to work to be prepared for a Group One sprint in the new year.

Vain Queen made it four wins from as many starts when successful at Caulfield first-up on August 31 in her only appearance of the season so far.

“The plan was always to give her one run in the spring, which she had, and she’s been to the paddock and done extremely well,” Sadler said.

“She’s back in work and getting ready for the Oakleigh Plate.”