David Hayes is not wasting any time showcasing a filly he has Schweppes Thousand Guineas aspirations for in the new racing season. The Hall of Fame trainer will start Gregers in the $80,000 Aquanas BM78 Handicap (1000m) at Saturday’s first Victorian metropolitan meeting of the 2013/14 racing year at Moonee Valley.

Hayes considers the Blue Diamond fourth placegetter part of his A-team of three-year-old fillies and he is looking forward to getting an early indication as to whether she deserves such billing.

“You shouldn’t really spruik them until they’ve done it, but it looks like she’s progressed well,” Hayes said. “She’s a very promising filly.”

Gregers has not started since finishing fourth, beaten less than 2.5 lengths by Miracles of Life, in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on 23 February. Her only other start produced an upset win in a slick field at a Moonee Valley night meeting on debut.

The daughter of Commands faces a challenging first-up assignment with Listed Chairman’s Stakes winner Metastasio, Blue Diamond Preview runner-up Diamond Glow, Magic Millions Clockwise Classic winner I’m Too Sexy engaged along with well-bred debutant Maroon Bay, a half-sister to Jolie Bay.

Gregers (barrier two) was allocated 60kg joint topweight with Metastasio (one), but Hayes has employed his in-form apprentice Kayla Nisbet, who claims 3kg, to aid her cause of first-up success.

“It’s a shame she’s got so much weight, but with Kayla Nisbet’s claim it will ease the burden a bit,” he said.

“Kayla’s probably the leading apprentice in Victoria the last six weeks. She hadn’t ridden a city winner six weeks ago.”

It is not only Thousand Guineas contenders who will be in action at Moonee Valley with their male contemporaries to go around in the $80,000 Sweeney Can Do Agents BM78 Handicap that kicks off the card at 12.05pm.

That 1000m event could prove a prelude to the BECK Caulfield Guineas with boom Kiwi colt Cauthen, Peter Moody’s Weinholt, who started favourite (when seventh) in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes, and one-time Magic Millions 2YO Classic favourite Clevadude among those engaged.

And the three-year-old races are not even the ‘feature’ events of the meeting. The 1print.com.au Handicap (2040m) and Boscastle Handicap (1600m) both carry $100,000 in prizemoney.

The former, which is Race 3, features The Cleaner, Exceptionally Sea Galleon and Dayita, with the Hayes-trained Spacecraft heading a Boscastle Handicap (Race 6) field that also includes Glaneuse, Another Prelate, Clanga’s Glory and Vizhaka.

Also on the Moonee Valley card is a quality $80,000 Sportingbet Handicap (1000m), which includes Broken, Canali, Dee Bee Nine, Last Gift and recent Flemington winner It’s Poets Day.