Exciting filly Commanding Jewel will have the bar set high at Melbourne’s spring carnival.

Commanding Jewel will be aimed at the Cox Plate. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia.

The rising four-year-old is still only in the very early stages of her preparation with trainer Leon Corstens but managing owner Brad Spicer has made her spring focus clear.

“The Cox Plate is our main aim,” Spicer said on his website.

“During the spring there are obviously a, b and c plans. We can always drop back to mares’ grade, races like the Myer Classic or even the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield over the mile (1600m).”

Spicer said it was exciting to have the daughter of Commands back and is hoping she can progress on to bigger things after an impressive debut campaign last year.

“It’s fair to say we’ve all got a bit of spring in our step knowing that Commanding Jewel is back in the stable,” Spicer said.

“Leon’s got her doing a fair bit of pool work and water walker work as she did come in quite a bit tubby.”

Commanding Jewel won three of five starts as a three-year-old including a thumping three-length victory in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas where she showed a scintillating turn of foot.

While it is still early days, the Cox Plate could present a showdown with Commanding Jewel’s superstar three-quarter sister Atlantic Jewel.

Trainer Mark Kavanagh has been hesitant to outline spring plans for the injury-plagued mare but she began her preparation last month.

If she could get back to her best, the Cox Plate presents itself as a likely goal. Atlantic Jewel has been a dominant performer in all seven of her career starts, with major victories coming in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas and the Group 1 All Aged Stakes.