Secret Admirier will take her first step towards her ultimate spring goal of the Caulfield Cup when she lines up at Warwick Farm this weekend.

Secret Admirer

Secret Admirer will have their first spring run in the Warwick Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart

The five-year-old mare has accepted for the Group 2 Warwick Stakes, which will be her first run of the spring carnival.

While she has constantly proven herself over a mile by winning both the Group 1 Coolmore Flight Stakes and Group 1 Epsom Handicap over that that distance, trainer Grahame Begg is hopeful she can get the Caulfield Cup’s 2,400 metres.

She demonstrated her staying skills in the 2,040 metres Cox Plate and 2,000 metre Queen Elizabeth Stakes last season, which added to Begg’s confidence.

“Because she gets well weighted in that race we felt it was time to try her over a mile-and-a-half,” Begg said.

“She ran fifth in the Cox Plate and third in the Queen Elizabeth so we’ve got a little bit of an inkling.”

Secret Admirer failed to post a win during her six starts in the autumn, however, Begg is convinced this was due to undesirable race tempos.

“She was probably a couple of inches away in the autumn,” Begg said.

“She needs fast run races.

“She’s certainly matured. She’s where she should be at.”

The Dubawi mare has won three of her 16 race starts and has earned more than $1.07 million in prize money during her successful career.

Purchased for just $38,000 from the 2009 Sydney Classic Yearling Sale, Secret Admirer has gone on to be one of the most successful mares in Australia.

She will have to contend with the likes of Lamasery, Centennial Park, Danleigh and Startsmeup if she wants to begin her Caulfield Cup campaign on a winning note this weekend.

Secret Admirer has the barrier draw on her side, with the mare set to jump from gate six with jockey Corey Brown aboard.

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