A 955m scamper at Moonee Valley on Friday night will provide the first step towards a Group One target for stakes-winning mare Lady Melksham.

Trainer John Sadler has selected the Moonee Valley race, the 17th heat of the Essendon Mazda 55 Second Challenge, as one of two planned starts on the way to Lady Melksham's major goal of the Group One Sportingbet Classic over 1200m in Adelaide next month.

Lady Melksham had her spring campaign cut short when she was found to have fractured her skull after running last when favourite in the Alinghi Stakes in October.

Sadler believes Friday's event is an ideal first-up target.

"She'll have this over 955 (metres) and then go into a 1000-metre race and then she should be cherry ripe for the 1200 metres," Sadler said.

Sadler says Lady Melksham will need to be even better than the spring if she's to measure up in Group One company, although reports from jockey Glen Boss and the mare's track riders were encouraging.

"She seems to me to have come back pretty well. She's had a couple of jumpouts and Glen was pleased with the way she felt," Sadler said.