Queensland Derby winner Court Ruler will begin a limited winter campaign in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast on Saturday ahead of long-range plans to target the Melbourne Cup.Court Ruler is due to arrive in Queensland on Wednesday for the 1800-metre Group Two feature and will be ridden by heavyweight Victorian jockey Danny Brereton who finished third on the Colin and Cindy Alderson-trained Sea Galleon in Sunday's South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville.Brereton has ridden Court Ru

Queensland Derby winner Court Ruler will begin a limited winter campaign in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast on Saturday ahead of long-range plans to target the Melbourne Cup.

Court Ruler is due to arrive in Queensland on Wednesday for the 1800-metre Group Two feature and will be ridden by heavyweight Victorian jockey Danny Brereton who finished third on the Colin and Cindy Alderson-trained Sea Galleon in Sunday's South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville.

Brereton has ridden Court Ruler once in his 20-start career when the gelding finished fourth to Coniston Bluebird in the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie in March last year.

Trainer John Wheeler has earmarked only two starts in Queensland for Court Ruler if all goes to plan and will need to pay a late entry fee of $13,750 for his main mission in the Group One Doomben Cup (2020m) on May 22.

Court Ruler confirmed his trip across the Tasman with a last-start fourth to Boundless in the Group Three Hawke's Bay Cup (2200) on a heavy track at Hastings on April 24.

"I'm real happy with him and he's going super at the moment," Wheeler said.

"He should have run second in the Hawke's Bay Cup but he got hampered badly at the 200 metres.

"He'll run in the Hollindale Stakes on Saturday and I'll have to pay a late fee to run him in the Doomben Cup after I overlooked the original nominations.

"If he goes well in those two races I'll take him straight back home to prepare him for the Melbourne Cup.

"He's a two-mile (3200 metre) horse and I think his five-year-old year will be his best year."

Wheeler will target the Group Two Brisbane Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 12 with Court Ruler if a Melbourne Cup campaign is ruled out.

Wheeler, who is in Warrnambool in Victoria for the three-day jumps festival, is keeping a close weather watch at the Gold Coast where officials posted a heavy track on Tuesday after more than 130 millimetres of rain fell in the past 24 hours.

"The rain was non-stop all night and it's still raining today," course manager Steve Andrews said.

"But it's expected to ease to showers tomorrow and then be fine Thursday and Friday.

"Even if we get those two fine days I doubt we'll get a track better than slow."

Court Ruler won last year's Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on a heavy track but Wheeler believes the son of Viking Ruler is not at his best in the conditions.

He will be accompanied on his trip to Queensland by stablemates The Grogoch and Hollows.

The Grogoch collected his sixth win in 26 starts when successful over 2500 metres at Hastings on Hawkes' Bay Cup day while Hollows finished a disappointing sixth to Spare A Fortune over 1400 metres at a waterlogged Trentham on Saturday.

"The Grogoch is going back to Brisbane after he ran third in the Grand Prix at Eagle Farm last year and I'm sending Hollows over despite his bad run on Saturday," Wheeler said.

"Hollows went awful but his previous two runs at New Plymouth and Ellerslie were good.

"I think he's a good horse and I'm aiming him for the Queensland Derby."