Rosehill Guineas winner Jimmy Choux will make a one off appearance at the Sydney Autumn Carnival in the Group 1 $500,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 28.
Trainer John Bary will kick off the multiple Group 1 winner in the Group 1 Easter Handicap over 1600m at Ellerslie on April 14 before heading to Sydney.
Bary will then move Jimmy Choux’s focus onto Brisbane where his main mission will be the Group 1 $500,000 Kirks Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 19 before heading back home for a spell to prepare for Melbourne in the Spring.
“He’ll go to Sydney for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and then on to the Doomben Cup and he’ll spell after that,” Bary said.
“His main aim in the spring will be the Cox Plate, but I’m not sure how we’ll get there whether it be through the Triple Crown here (New Zealand) or in Australia.”
Jimmy Choux ran a courageous race in last years Group 1 $3m Tatts Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley behind Pinker Pinker before heading over to Hong Kong where he was a well beaten ninth to Able One in the Group 1 Hong Kong International Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin.
The Kiwi trainer said that Jimmy Choux had taken some time to recovery from his Spring campaign but picked up nicely at the end of his break and is in fine order for his return to racing.
“He’s been in the paddock longer than we thought he would be, but he’s very well now,” Bary said.
“It took a bit longer for him to come back after Hong Kong, but he’s really furnished now and is just a lot stronger.”
Bary said that because Jimmy Choux had to spend a little longer in the spelling paddock a Melbourne Autumn trip was out of the question and he had to miss the chance of taking on Manighar, Southern Speed and Americain in the Group 1 $1m Dubai Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday.
But Bary’s first priority is to look after his Group 1 performer and is happy with the way he has returned to the stable.
“He’s matured more with the break. He’s a bit bigger and a bit stronger but he still hasn’t gone colty or heavy on top which is great. If anything he’s come back even better,’ Bary said.
Jimmy Choux is the winner of five Group 1s including last year’s $500,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill and the NZ$2.2 Telecom New Zealand Derby (2400m).
