Trainer Cliff Brown intends to proceed with his Queensland campaign for Group 1 victor Sepals.

The gelding triumphed in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield during last spring’s racing, marking Brown’s initial Group 1 success since his return from Singapore in 2021.

Brown eyes the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm scheduled for June 13, though he noted that any issues with the four-year-old would prompt an immediate halt.

The yard could feature a further entrant in the Stradbroke after Von Hauke’s success in the Listed Golden Mile (1600m) at Bendigo last Saturday.

Following a fourth placing in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on debut this preparation, Brown took Sepals to Sydney where the gelding started as a strongly supported favourite in the Doncaster Prelude (1500m) at Rosehill on March 28.

Sepals underperformed that afternoon, with Brown pointing to a heavy weight burden and a fatigued Rosehill surface impacted by the Sydney Carnival, yet the gelding remained off colour upon arriving back in Melbourne.

Brown had eyed a Sydney comeback for the Group 1 All-Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 18, opting instead for a short spell in the paddock 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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