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Manawanui has returned to work at Warwick Farm and trainer Ron Leemon is hoping the decision to give him a good spell will be rewarded in the spring.

While Sydney three-year-olds Sea Siren and Mental have emerged as winter carnival forces, a highly-rated contemporary is beginning a preparation aimed at the spring and the Cox Plate.

Golden Rose winner Manawanui has returned from a nine-week break and has started the build-up to his spring carnival assault at trainer Ron Leemon's Warwick Farm base.

The talented gelding was sent for an early spell during the autumn after a gut-busting run in the Group One Randwick Guineas (1600m) where he hit the front at the top of the straight before weakening to finish fifth as favourite.

Leemon made the decision to pull the pin on George Ryder Stakes and Doncaster Mile plans in the belief it would pay dividends later this year.

"He's been back about a fortnight and is doing well," Leemon said.

"He's just in the early stages now, trotting and cantering for a couple of weeks before stepping up another notch.

"He spelled very well and put on about 50 kilos. He's obviously a bit burly at the moment but he's grown and matured up which is what I wanted him to do."

Leemon is yet to map out a spring path for Manawanui but says the Cox Plate has always been the race he has wanted to target.

"My aim has always been the Cox Plate," Leemon said.

"He's got to justify that by winning two or three races going into that.

"If he's going to go to the Cox Plate I would imagine he would have three runs prior to that and go into the Cox Plate at his fourth, maybe fifth, run."

Leemon said sending Manawanui to the paddock when he did was the best thing for the horse.

The three-year-old's autumn campaign started with an unlucky second in the Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m) before he was first past the post in the Hobartville Stakes (1400m) only to lose the race on protest to Wild And Proud.

Leemon was then critical of jockey Tommy Berry for exposing the favourite too soon in the Randwick Guineas and said the gelding was "stressed out" after the run.

"I thought if we pressed on after that it could have harmed the horse," Leemon said.

"He went straight to the paddock. It was his third hard run in a row and to me it was the best thing to do for the horse. Hopefully we see the benefit of it in the spring."