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By Ray Hickson

Talented filly Sky Command has been kept very busy in the past few weeks as trainer Gary Portelli ensures she’s more than fit enough to regain winning form at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.

Trainer Gary Portelli (Pic: Steve Hart)

Portelli said he learned from the three-year-old’s fading seventh behind Mazu in the Listed Fireball at Randwick on March 5 and expects her to produce her best in the Frosted @ Darley Handicap (1000m).

“I feel in my mind I didn’t have her fit enough on the day, she hadn't had a run for a while and it was a very testing track,’’ he said.

“They went really quick and she was out of her comfort zone all the way.

“She had a good blow, I’ve learned a bit about that with her.”

Sky Command is no diminutive filly, she weighs in at around the 550kg mark and Portelli said her size was evident when he partnered her with stablemate Spaceboy for a gallop.

“They galloped together the other morning and she’s actually bigger than Spaceboy, and he’s a monster,’’ Portelli said.

“She takes a bit more work than most sprinters. We’ve stuck the work into her and she’ll be a bit lighter, a bit tighter, and she’s certainly at her peak.”

Prior to her last start failure, Sky Command was an all the way winner at Canterbury in late January and was run down by Shadow Crush in a 1000m Benchmark 94 at Randwick.

Brenton Avdulla is back on board the filly on Wednesday. He’s had three rides for two wins on the filly including a two length decision over rival and race favourite Dragonstone from back in July, though she meets him worse off at the weights.

Portelli said as much as he’s confident Sky Command, $4.60 with TAB on Tuesday, will produce her best he’s wary that there’s plenty of strength in the opposition even though she’s coming back from a Listed race.

“I don’t know if it’s a drop in grade looking at who has accepted, it’s a very strong race. This is a Saturday race all day long,’’ he said.

“She’ll jump and run no doubt, a heavy track shouldn’t worry her. Brenton has won on her twice, there’s lots of ticks in the right boxes.

“She’s a huge chance, she’ll run to her best.”

The Golden Slipper winning trainer and jockey combine again in three races at Warwick Farm including unraced three-year-old Upgrades who steps out for the first time in the I Am Invincible @ Yarraman Park Handicap (1100m).

Sky Command runs second at Randwick on February 5

She’s a full sister to stakes placed mare Improvement and Portelli said her latest trial shouldn’t be given any weight when assessing her chances first-up.

“Her trial was really good on the grass, it wasn’t so good on the poly (synthetic),’’ he said.

“To me she looks like she might be a handy little wet tracker so she gets conditions to suit.

“While I’m not aiming up too high I’m thinking on a wet track she could get a city placing to her name or even a win.”

All the fields, form and replays for Wednesday’s Warwick Farm meeting