High class mare Ortensia has begun her spring carnival build-up in Queensland and will return to full training by the end of the month.The Tony Noonan-prepared Group Two winner has been enjoying the northern sunshine since her fruitful winter campaign in Brisbane which yielded two stakes victories and a slashing third to Black Piranha in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 6.She was set to start a popular favourite in the Group One Winter Stakes two weeks later but was scratched due to a minor leg i

High class mare Ortensia has begun her spring carnival build-up in Queensland and will return to full training by the end of the month.

The Tony Noonan-prepared Group Two winner has been enjoying the northern sunshine since her fruitful winter campaign in Brisbane which yielded two stakes victories and a slashing third to Black Piranha in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 6.

She was set to start a popular favourite in the Group One Winter Stakes two weeks later but was scratched due to a minor leg injury.

The four-year-old has been doing some light conditioning in Queensland and the Victorian-based Noonan can't wait for her return to his Mornington stables.

"She'll come to Melbourne at the end of August," Noonan said.

"She has spelled extremely well, she's bright and well and I'm looking forward to getting her home.

"She'll probably race towards the end of September, I'm not in too much of a rush.

"She had a strong winter campaign in Brisbane so we won't be asking more of her than we have to.

"We might even end up looking at Hong Kong."

Noonan said he would be open to running Ortensia in either the Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) or Mile (1600m) and if they did embark on an overseas campaign, her spring preparation in Melbourne would be geared around it.

"If she goes for a sprint campaign we'd look at the Patinack (Farm Classic), otherwise we'll look at the Mile race for mares (Myer Classic)," Noonan said.

"She is an exciting horse.

"She's only lightly raced and she's never been out of the first three."

The Myer Classic (1600m) is on October 31, a week before the Patinack Farm Classic (1200m), both at Flemington.

Ortensia is among nominations for the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24.

Noonan is also optimistic about the future of talented sprinter Midnight Mustang, an impressive last start winner of the Group Three Spring Gully Stakes at Morphettville on August 8.

The lightly-raced six-year-old has built up a commanding record with eight wins and five placings from his 20 starts.

Noonan is keeping his plans for Midnight Mustang close to his chest but says he will have just one or two more runs this spring and may contest the major sprints in Melbourne next year.

"There are a lot of options for him," Noonan said.

"The sky is the limit."

Midnight Mustang was nominated for three races in two states on Saturday, including the Warwick Stakes at Randwick and Penny Edition Stakes at Morphettville but Noonan elected not to pay up for any of them and said Midnight Mustang was most likely to have his next start in Melbourne.