Trainer Justine Erkelens is targeting next Saturday’s Bunbury Cup (2000m) with her talented mare Own The Queen, as she looks to get her campaign back on track.

The Muchea-based trainer had high hopes for the star four-year-old after an impressive three-year-old season that saw her sweep the Ascot 1000 Guineas (1800m), Natasha Stakes (2200m), and WA Oaks (2400m). However, things haven’t gone smoothly this time around, with Own The Queen experiencing a mix of bad barriers, unlucky runs, and even an uncharacteristic buck-jumping episode that forced her out of the Ascot Mile.

Despite the setbacks, Erkelens remains optimistic after Own The Queen’s strong performances, including a runner-up finish to Bonjoy in the Starstruck Classic (1600m) and a third-place effort in the Detonator Stakes (1800m) last weekend.

“It’s just been a shitty prep, really,” Erkelens told Tabradio.

“A few things haven’t gone right for her, having no luck in running and then the mishap with the saddle (Ascot Mile).

“But she’s pretty smart and gets over things pretty quickly, which is a bonus with her.

“So, onwards to the next one and we’ll go to the Bunbury Cup and see what she does there.”

Meanwhile, Erkelens may have another rising star in her stable in the form of Machine Gun Gracie. The promising filly impressed with a dominant 4 ½-length victory at Pinjarra on Sunday, building on a strong debut second at Bunbury.

“She is showing us so much potential,” Erkelens said.

“I was hoping she could win her first start because we really want to get into the Ascot 1000 Guineas in a couple of weeks.

“She is so quiet; a lovely filly and we were really pleased with the run.”

In more unfortunate news, stablemate Northern Diamond has suffered a setback and will miss her autumn campaign due to a bone chip injury.

“She’s had a bit of a minor hiccup at the moment,” Erkelens said.

“At the moment she’s having a bone chip operation and will go out for a little break.”