Group 1 winner Sepals remains on course for a Queensland foray under trainer Cliff Brown.

Last spring’s conqueror of the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, the gelding delivered Brown’s breakthrough Group 1 triumph post his 2021 homecoming from Singapore.

The trainer targets the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm June 13, emphasising a swift withdrawal if the four-year-old shows any concern.

Von Hauke’s Listed Golden Mile (1600m) victory at Bendigo on Saturday positions the stable with possible dual Stradbroke challengers.

After filling fourth in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington first-up, Sepals journeyed to Sydney as the market fancy for the Doncaster Prelude (1500m) at Rosehill on March 28.

The performance disappointed, with Brown citing a stern weight and a track at Rosehill debilitated by Sydney Carnival exertions, leaving the gelding subdued back in Melbourne.

A proposed Sydney revisit for the Group 1 All-Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 18 was shelved in favour of a concise paddock respite for Sepals.

“He had 10 days off and he’s come back in tremendous order,” Brown said.

“He just wasn’t himself, but he seems right now.

“I don’t think he appreciated the track up in Sydney, but just afterwards when we got him home, he just wasn’t himself.

“We know him intimately and he wasn’t right.

“I gave him a jump-out, which was OK, without being great, but then he had the 10 days off and I thought, if he’s OK, we’ll be able to continue on and if he’s not, we’ll go to the paddock.

“At this point he seems good and if he’s right, we’ll head up to Queensland, and he can have a run at the end of the month with the aim of hopefully getting him to the Stradbroke.”

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