Jewel shines in Valley gallop

The exercise hardly provided a definitive answer, but super mare Amelia's Jewel did enough to set aside any fears of her upcoming debut at The Valley when she had her first look at the circuit on Monday.

Damian Lane put Amelia's Jewel through her paces and later her trainer Simon Miller said there was nothing in her gallop to suggest the tricky course could prove her undoing in Friday night's Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m).

"I thought she was good," Miller said. "Professional as she got around, but I thought she might have floated up the straight because she can do that - she did it at Flemington - but she stuck to her guns and ran through the line.

"Her last furlong was good - 11.6 seconds on her own - usually she puts the cue in the rack, but she ran through the line, so I was happy.

"Good horses get around the Valley. Ascot's pretty tight at home. We've only got a short straight and she can rip up there pretty quick. She can adapt and adjust."

Amelia's Jewel sat off the back of a Nick Ryan-trained galloper for much of her work on Monday morning before presenting with a taste of her big sprint in the straight and Miller said that was the sort of work he was looking for from his potential Cox Plate contender.

"She's been looming up and working alongside them (in trackwork at Flemington) and then getting in front and putting the cue in the rack, so I thought could sit off him and then chime in and keep the momentum going," he said.

"I think she'll get around (the track). She was good this morning and I know race-day pressure is totally different, but she was good and Frosty (Damian Lane) gave her a good report. He said she quickened up nice, recovered well and handled the track."

Miller said Amelia's Jewel has been thriving at her temporary home at Flemington in the three weeks since her flight from Perth.

"She hasn't missed a skerrick of feed and she's been strong in her work back at Flemington, which is a good sign as when she gets deeper into her prep she gets better," he said.

"She bounced out of the first-up run good and she had a bit of a puff after the race.

"Her coat's not through yet. It's getting there but it's not our grand final on Friday."

Miller said the mare's Stocks Stakes run will be important to the decision as to where she goes next, with races in Melbourne and Sydney providing excellent options.

"If you wanted to play the safe bet, you'd go to the Toorak because then you can keep the options alive in the Golden Eagle or Cox Plate," he said. "But if you go to the King Charles Stakes (at Randwick), you probably stay up for the Eagle," Miller said.