Iconic has a Group placing behind the horse now ranked the world's best sprinter but resumes at Moonee Valley on Saturday chasing his first stakes victory.

Iconic has twice been runner-up at Group level including his 3-3/4-length defeat by Lankan Rupee in the Rubiton Stakes (1100m) in February.

The Tony McEvoy-trained four-year-old lines up in the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) and while his trainer says the gelding is not wound right up for his first-up assignment, he expects him to run well.

Iconic, who has close family ties to champion Black Caviar, has won three of his 12 starts.

His Rubiton performance earned Iconic a shot at the Group One Oakleigh Plate but he was 14th, more than seven lengths behind Lankan Rupee.

"Not much went right in the Group One but he's probably just off the Group One horses too," McEvoy said.

McEvoy believes Iconic will keep improving and is looking to keep the sprinter to races below 1200m this campaign.

"He's very effective off a high speed," McEvoy said.

"I'll keep him to 1000 and 1100 metre sprints but I have no particular race picked out (as a target)."

Iconic, who will be ridden by Nick Hall on Saturday, won a 1000m barrier trial at Morphettville on heavy ground at the start of the month and McEvoy said the sprinter had come on nicely since.

"He's not going into the race fully wound up but he's ready to run well," he said.

The Anthony Cummings-trained mare Villa Verde, a first-up winner of the Group Two Challenge Stakes in the autumn, is the highest rated horse among the 16 Carlyon Stakes nominations.

Other entries include Shamal Wind, Kencella, Minaj and Angelic Light who has not raced since her second in the Group One Robert Sangster Stakes in April last year.