The Group One Manikato Stakes is the first target for Sea Siren in a campaign that could culminate on the international stage in December.

And if John O'Shea can get the dual Group One winner to the Hong Kong International Sprint at the end of the year, the trainer is intent on making the experience a more memorable one than he had three years ago.

On that occasion the O'Shea-trained Racing To Win finished near the tail of the field in the Hong Kong Mile.

"Ideally I would love to take her to Hong Kong," O'Shea said before reflecting on some of the lessons learned in 2009.

"The preparation of Racing To Win was good," he said. "The instructions to the jockey were disgraceful."

"I knew the horse in the race to beat and I thought if we got in front of him we'd be a chance of beating him. Instead he galloped on my horse and ended his career. If I had just gone back and followed him, at worst we'd have probably run second.

"When I reflect back to my last time in Hong Kong, I think I'll give greater consideration to riding instructions (next time)."

It's unlikely O'Shea will need to give Jim Cassidy any instructions on Friday with the veteran jockey well aware of the capabilities of Sea Siren having ridden her throughout her career including her historic Group One double in Queensland earlier this year.

O'Shea said Sea Siren was in great shape for the Manikato, run for the first time on the eve of the Cox Plate.

She will gallop at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning along with many other carnival contenders.

"I think her trials have been really good, but you never know until they race," O'Shea said.

"The others have probably got a bit of race fitness on us but we've done the best we can to prepare her.

"She's got a goal later in the preparation so whatever she does on Friday night she'll improve on."

Star Queensland sprinter Buffering appears the biggest danger to Sea Siren and O'Shea believes the pair are prime candidates to star in the sprinting arena this carnival with Black Caviar missing from the spring action.

"It would appear her and Buffering are probably the best two sprinters that are punching around in Australia at the moment," he said.

The pair have met twice with Sea Siren beating Buffering in the Doomben 10,000 but Buffering finished ahead of the mare in the Stradbroke.