Mandy Shillito's head tells her Rocking Force will again run second this weekend but her heart is willing him to turn the tables on First Command at Flemington.

Rocking Force is the star of Shillito's stable near Geelong and has racked up five wins and 15 minor placings in his 27 start career which he only began as a four-year-old.

Shillito pulled the pin on his 2012 spring campaign after two uncharacteristic unplaced efforts with Rocking Force subsequently found to have some joint problems.

The eight-year-old's second to First Command on his return at Caulfield last Saturday week convinced his trainer he was back as good as ever.

He runs in the Listed Kensington Stakes (1000m) and is the second favourite behind the Anthony Freedman-trained First Command who is odds-on.

"He is a genuine Listed class horse but he keeps running into one a little bit better," Shillito said.

"We got three kilos off First Command last time and meet him at level weights on Saturday so it does look like he should win.

"But Rocking Force loves the straight at Flemington so there's hope he can turn the tables."

Shillito spent years learning the business in Sydney and overseas before setting up an agistment and pre-training centre at St Leonards.

The opportunity to train Rocking Force gave her the impetus to take out a licence and she now runs a boutique stable of 13 with the help of her husband Glenn, a former electrician.

"We were running a pre-training centre and I got the chance to train Rocking Force," she said.

"He was a very immature horse who wasn't very big.

"But once I put him into work he blossomed and grew into the horse he is now."

The Kensington has a field of six but Shillito has no concerns about tactics.

"He will do what he always does and take a sit," she said.

"He likes something to chase.

"Sometimes in a bigger field there is the risk of another horse getting in the way so I think he'll be fine."

The Kensington features the second Australian start of former Hong Kong champion Good Ba Ba who was an eye-catching fourth in the Standish Handicap (1200m) on New Year's Day.

The 11-year-old, winner of three Hong Kong International Miles, is now in the care of Rick Hore-Lacy and has the Doncaster in April as a Group One target.