Trainer Tony Noonan, like many in the racing game, hopes to see his mare Herbert Park compete at Stakes level in the future.

For now, however, Noonan is focused on allowing her to develop her racecraft, gain experience, and work her way through the grades before taking on tougher competition.

Her next challenge will be in The Mystic Journey (1100m) at Caulfield this Saturday, where Noonan hopes to see an improved showing from her second-up.

Herbert Park’s first run back this campaign saw her finish at the rear of a five-horse field, trailing home behind Samangu over the same course and distance on February 22.

To sharpen her up for Saturday, Noonan gave her a strong gallop at Caulfield on Tuesday, confident she is primed to improve.

“She’s had one run back, and with three weeks between races, she should be in great shape for Saturday,” Noonan said.

“They went slow early last start, which didn’t suit her. The leaders got away, and she was left flat-footed. She also tired late, which was understandable first-up.”

“She’s much better when she can build momentum into her race, and hopefully, she gets that opportunity this time around.”

Last winter, Herbert Park showed her ability by stringing together three wins, including a success on soft ground at Caulfield.

Noonan is eager to see if she can perform just as well on firmer ground this weekend.

“She’s been most effective on softer tracks, so this will be a good test to see if she handles firmer conditions just as well,” he said.

“She’s a big, strong mare, so leaving her in the paddock for too long wouldn’t have helped her. We’ll reassess after this run, but we may give her a short break and bring her back when the ground softens later in the season.”

“There’s a chance she could travel to Sydney for the end of their carnival, or we might target a Stakes race in Adelaide in May, depending on how she performs.”

“She’s working well and looks terrific, so we’re hoping she can put it all together and deliver a strong performance on Saturday.”