The Caulfield Cup has emerged as a target for Mount Athos when he makes his third trip to Australia in the spring.

Mount Athos has finished fifth and third in the past two Melbourne Cups respectively and trainer Marco Botti has flagged a start at Caulfield as his lead-up this year.

After racing at the Dubai carnival in March, Mount Athos made a winning return to British action in Saturday's Listed Aston Park Stakes (2700m) at Newbury and owner Dr Marwan Koukash is keen to return to Australia.

"We don't really have a plan in mind as far as his next race is concerned," Botti told Attheraces.com.

"Having spoken to Dr Koukash, the priority is to go for the Melbourne Cup and we will work backwards from there.

"In my opinion, I think he should have one more race before the Melbourne Cup and we should keep him fresh over the summer.

"This year we are considering running him in the Caulfield Cup beforehand.

"He ran in Hong Kong in December, then he went to Dubai and then won on Saturday. It's a long year if he is going to Australia, so he needs to have a break. He doesn't need to show any more and we know what he can do. He could run somewhere at the end of August or early September, but we'll see."

Mount Athos is unlikely to be Botti's only Melbourne Cup runner, with last year's fifth Dandino close to a racetrack return.

"He hasn't run since the Melbourne Cup because he had a setback in Hong Kong, but we are pleased with him at the moment," Botti said.

"We had been looking at the Coronation Cup at Epsom, but that will probably come too soon and I think we will aim for the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot."

Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock, which owns Dandino, is likely to keep Tac De Boistron in Europe rather than bring him back to Australia where he failed in 2012 on firm tracks.

"The owners are from Australia, but they already have Dandino for the Melbourne Cup and if Tac De Boistron was to go as well, it would mean giving up on some good races in Europe where the ground would suit him better," Botti said.