John Thompson has done the unthinkable. He has thrown the Bart Cummings handbook out the window.

Thompson's decision to kick-off the campaign of Tremec over 1800m at Rosehill on Saturday is a no-no in the eyes of the master trainer.

And Thompson, Cummings's Sydney foreman for many years, feels like the naughty school boy outside the principal's office.

"It's a first for me running a horse over 1800 metres first-up," Thompson said.

"I think Bart would be pretty cranky with me because he said `never further than 1400 first-up'.

"But 1400 is just too short for this horse. He'd run last, tailed off. At least over 1800 he will get a chance to travel."

Tremec failed to come up last spring but showed a glimmer of his staying talent in the autumn with consecutive placings behind Melbourne Cup favourite The Offer.

Stablemate Hooked was also competitive during the Sydney carnival and finished third in the Australian Derby.

However, the Classic placing belies Thompson's spring plans for the four-year-old who returns in Saturday's Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club Handicap (1400m).

"I've got to say Hooked is really going well," Thompson said.

"We think he might be more of a fresh miler so we're going to be training him that way this time.

"Hopefully he can aim up at something like the Epsom."

Hooked resumes in a benchmark race that promises to be an important guide to the spring.

His rivals include Hawkes Racing's Entirely Platinum, Godolphin stayers Tupac Amaru and Gallatin, the Gai Waterhouse-trained import Greatwood and Auckland Cup winner Who Shot Thebarman, a new acquisition for Chris Waller.