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Classy juvenile filly French Fern will step up her spring preparation with a barrier trial at Rosehill on Tuesday.

Classy juvenile filly French Fern will step up her spring preparation with a barrier trial at Rosehill on Tuesday.

The David Payne-trained French Fern won twice this season including the G2 Reisling Stakes at Randwick in March before failing behind Capitalist in the G1 Golden Slipper.

Payne has entered French Fern for a 900m trial on Tuesday and intends to give the filly a soft hitout.

“She’s had a virus. It was nothing serious, but it kept her out of work for about a week, so she is just going to have a very soft barrier trial as a result,” Payne said.

“She is big and strong and she definitely can go on as a three-year- old.

“You just have to look at her physically as she is much bigger and stronger after her spell. What she has done as a two-year-old is a bonus.”

Payne will target Sydney’s Princess Series for fillies culminating in the G1 Flight Stakes at Randwick in October, putting her on the same path as G1 winner Yankee Rose.

If French Fern measures up in her Sydney campaign, Payne plans to send the filly to Melbourne where she could back up in the G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on October 8 a week after the Flight Stakes.

“She’ll go for the fillies races in Sydney and I will nominate her for the Thousand Guineas in Melbourne,” he said.

“I don’t think she’d be an Oaks filly - I would say 1600 metres would be her best distance.”

Blake Shinn won the Reisling Stakes on French Fern and has the first offer to ride her in the spring.

Fresh Fern is drawn in the same trial heat on Tuesday as Chris Waller’s classy prospect Omei Sword, placed in the G2 Magic Night Stakes in March.

Peter and Paul Snowden’s Black Opal Stakes winner Defcon and the promising Crafty Cop from the Hawkes will command attention when they clash in another 2YO trial over 900m.

The 3YO and open heats feature several topliners from the Chris Waller stable led by multiple G1 winner Preferment.

Preferment is drawn in the same 900m heat as his stablemates Grand Marshal, Who Shot Thebarman and All Cerise while Spring Champion Stakes winner Vanbrough will trial in a 3YO heat over 900m.