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By Ray Hickson

Kembla trainer Louise Dean’s early target for promising filly Musume is next month’s Wagga carnival but she’s hoping to head south with a first-up win at Hawkesbury on Tuesday.

The $40,000 Queen Of The South (1400m) is the race Dean has in mind and longer term she could be a late Queensland carnival and even a 2020 Provincial Championships contender.

That’s the kind of view Dean has of the three-year-old who resumes since her maiden win in January in the Robert Oatley Wines Handicap (1300m).

“I decided win lose or draw after Kembla she was going for a break, she’s still growing and she’d done a good job,’’ Dean said.

“As it happened she did win and she went out on a good note.’’

Prior to her maiden win, Musume stretched Cossetot at Hawkesbury over 1300m – since then the Godolphin gelding has recorded a Listed win, three Group 2 placings and contested the Group 1 Australian Derby.

It’s noticeable that Musume hasn’t had an official trial ahead of the Hawkesbury race but Dean said that’s normal practice for her team.

“I’d rather race them fit and she’s probably 98 per cent fit going in,’’ she said.

Musume wins easily at Kembla Grange in January

“She’s done plenty of work and the fellow who rides her work came back this morning and said 'thank god she’s racing Tuesday' because she’s jumping out of her skin.’’

Musume was $3.60 favourite with TAB on Monday afternoon to make the perfect start to her preparation and the wide alley is of no concern to Dean given the filly’s early speed.

And there’s an interesting fact surrounding jockey Adam Hyeronimus’ booking and where Musume is headed.

‘Hippo’ has ridden the filly in her last two starts and he also rode her dam, Elkaydee, to her only win which came at the 2012 Wagga Cup carnival.

“She’s always been half-pie handy,’’ Dean said.

“Right from day one she’s always been a go forward sort of filly, she’s a determined horse. I trained her mother and she was very much the same, but she only had four starts.

“Adam knows how to ride this filly and how to rate her.

“I can’t see her not getting across she’s that brilliant out. Unless something has changed in the last 12 or 13 weeks I can’t see her being headed out of the gates.’’

Dean said the Queen Of The South fits in well with where Musume is at this time in and if she continues to raise the bar a late Queensland carnival campaign is in the works.

She had stablemate Myprayer run in two Provincial Championships Qualifiers this year and she’s not ruling out the 2020 series for Musume assuming she doesn’t win five more races between now and then.

“If she’d have had another start I’d have contemplated running in the (Wagga) Guineas but it’s a mile and I don’t want to step her up that quickly,’’ she said.

“We’re taking our time, we’re in no rush and hopefully she can race well. It’s all up in the air and depends on how she goes on Tuesday and how she comes up.’’

Myprayer is engaged at Warwick Farm on Wednesday and Dean said the gelding has had excuses for his two failures in the Hawkesbury and Kembla Qualifiers this time in.

All the fields, form and replays for Tuesday’s Hawkesbury meeting