After being forced to miss the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast, Paradee is expected to resume in mares grade rather than the Doomben Cup.

Paradee is expected to kick off her Queensland Winter Racing Carnival in a stakes race against fillies and mares rather than take on Group 1 company at Doomben.

The Danny O’Brien-trained mare is entered for the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) on Saturday but the Group 3 Pam O’Neill Stakes (1600m) is now favoured to become the kick-off point for the four-year-old daughter of Epaulette.

Paradee was due to start her sojourn up in Queensland in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on May 8, but O’Brien reported the mare’s blood picture was not quite right after her arrival from Melbourne.

O’Brien said the ultimate aim for Paradee, providing the mare’s form is up to scratch, is the Group 2 $1.2 million Q22 (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 12.

“She’ll probably run at Doomben next Saturday,” O’Brien said.

“There’s a mares’ stakes race over a mile and then potentially on to the Q22 later in the carnival.

“She got up there and her blood picture wasn’t 100 per cent, so we had to scratch from the Hollindale, so we’ll probably kick off next weekend at Doomben.

“Everything is ticking over there nicely now. She’s good.”

Paradee has not started since finishing fourth to Homesman in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington in March.

That performance followed a hat-trick of wins, twice at the Gold Coast over 1800m in the space of eight days, including the Magic Magic Millions Handicap before rising to weight-for-age grade on her return to Melbourne to claim the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield.

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au