Last year's Melbourne Cup third placegetter Jakkalberry won't be returning to Australia this year but his stablemate Dandino is on target for Melbourne spring carnival success.

The Marco Botti-trained Dandino, who like Jakkalberry is raced by Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock, runs in the American St Leger (2700m) this weekend.

It is the same race Jakkalberry won last year before he came to Australia for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

Dandino is then due to return to the UK before entering quarantine ahead of his arrival in Melbourne at the end of September.

Darren Dance from Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock believes Dandino will be hard to beat in the American St Leger, saying the field didn't appear as strong as the one Dandino faced when second in the Hardwicke Stakes (2414m) at Royal Ascot.

Dance believes the seven-year-old will also be suited in the Caulfield Cup.

"He's going to be a chance in the Caulfield Cup, I would think," Dance told RSN Radio.

"The question about the two miles (of the Melbourne Cup) is still to be determined. I guess this weekend over 2700 metres is going to give us some guide, but at this stage I would probably think he's a stronger Caulfield Cup horse than Melbourne Cup horse on what he's done in the past."

Jakkalberry suffered a tendon injury in Dubai in March. Botti and the owners decided he needed more time to recover fully and would miss Australia with the Dubai carnival again a target.