Having missed a start in the Cockram Stakes, Japhils will now tune up for her next stakes assignment in a more modest race at Sandown.

Japhils was supposed to run in Saturday's Group Three Cockram Stakes (1200m) won by Madam Gangster at Caulfield, but trainer John Sadler was forced to abandon the plan because the mare had a minor foot problem.

Instead Japhils is set to run in Wednesday's The Cove Hotel Handicap (1200m) at Sandown.

"I'd be very hopeful that she'd run very well," Sadler said.

"She was to run in the Cockram but she had a little bit of a foot issue so she missed out on that and she runs on Wednesday and hopefully if she runs well she'll go on to the Let's Elope Stakes."

The Group Two Let's Elope Stakes (1400m) for mares is at Flemington on Saturday week.

"She's a handy mare. I don't know that she can mix it with the top class mares or not, but she's probably got to that stage where she's worth giving a try to," Sadler said.

Japhils won a Listed 1400m race for three-year-olds in Adelaide in April during a campaign which also included unplaced runs in two Group races against older horses in South Australia.

She returned from a let-up to lead all the way to win 1200m fillies' race in July and will carry 53.5kg on Wednesday with apprentice Jackie Beriman 1.5kg claim.

Last season's Group Two Thousand Guineas Prelude winner Afleet Esprit, is also set to resume in Wednesday's race while the field of 11 includes multiple Group placegetter Lucky Lago who will have her first start for trainers Lee and Anthony Freedman.

Now a six-year-old, Lucky Lago left John O'Shea when he joined the Godolphin operation.

She had eight starts for Peter and Paul Snowden including a third in the Group Three Lord Mayor's Cup (1600m) at Doomben in May.