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The hot form of Sydney jockey Tim Clark has earned him an unexpected Group One ride on Melbourne mare Noble Protector in Saturday’s $650,000 Doomben Cup.

Trainer Robert Smerdon has obviously noted that Clark has been riding in top form in feature races with wins in the G3 Hawkesbury Guineas, G3 Gold Coast Guineas, Listed Scone Cup and G3 Dark Jewel Stakes in the last two weeks.

Smerdon would have especially noted Clark’s rides at Scone last weekend that included a gem to land the Scone Cup on Pajaro and a perfectly judged ride on Danish Twist in the Dark Jewel.

With 72 wins on the board this season Clark is chasing down his best ever season tally of 97 wins recorded in 2010/11. He has ridden 35 wins on Sydney tracks to be in eighth place on the metropolitan premiership.

Clark has ridden only five G1 winners in Australia and is keen to break a drought that goes back to his last major wins in the autumn of 2011 when he won the Doncaster Mile on Sacred Choice and The Galaxy on Atomic Force.

Noble Protector, a last start third in the G1 Coolmore Legacy Stakes (Queen Of The Turf) over 1600m at Randwick on April 16 for the second successive year, was flown to Brisbane last Thursday and is scheduled to work at Doomben on Tuesday morning.

She put the seal on Smerdon’s Brisbane plans after she pleased the trainer with a second to another Doomben Cup entry Our Ivanhowe in a 1550m trial at Cranbourne last Monday.

The six-year-old mare has been ridden by Craig Williams in her last three races and last week’s trial but he is riding at the Goodwood meeting at Morphettville on Saturday, opening the door for Clark to ride the import in the Doomben Cup.

"We' brought her home from Sydney, she looks great and it's just been a matter of freshening her up,” Smerdon said.

A lot has been expected of Noble Protector since she joined the Smerdon stable in 2014 from the UK where she had won three races including the Listed Aphrodite Stakes at Goodwood.

She has had just 10 starts for Smerdon in 18 months for wins in the G2 Sunline Stakes and G3 Schweppervesence Trophy in Melbourne in the autumn of 2015 and four placings including her two G1 thirds in the Queen Of The Turf.

Smerdon wil be aiming for a Group One double in Brisbane and Adelaide on Saturday with his classy sprinter Under The Louvre contesting the $500,000 Goodwood at Morphettville.

Under The Louvre, formerly trained by Tony Vasil before he retired from training, has raced once for Smerdon for a first-up third at Caulfield on April 23.

The Doomben Cup (2000m) has attracted 14 nominations with Lee and Anthony Freedman hoping Our Ivanhowe can continue their great start to the Brisbane carnival after landing last Saturday’s G1 BTC Cup with Malaguerra.

The imported Our Ivanhowe has been freshened up with last week’s trial indicating he was back in form after a foot issue interrupted his Sydney carnival campaign.

The six-year-old entire pulled up lame in his off foreleg after failing in The BMW at Rosehill on March 26.

Chris Waller has nominated Junoob, Lady Le Fay and the French import Spiritjim.

Hugh Bowman is breaking from his stint in Japan to ride Spiritjim, a Group winner who opened his Australian career with a solid effort behind Leebaz in the G2 AD Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on May 7.

Leebaz and Wagga Cup winner Messene have been nominated for the Doomben Cup by the Hawkes stable while Godolphin trainer John O’Shea will rely on Hauraki and It’s Somewhat.

Leading Melbourne trainer Darren Weir has nominated the exciting import Raw Impulse after he made it three straight Australian wins at Caulfield last Saturday.

The David Vandyke-trained Maurus and three-time G1 winner Volkstok’n’barrel also feature among the nominations.