Group One winner Yankee Rose has taken the first step towards a spring carnival campaign with a solid barrier trial at Doomben yesterday.

It was her first public outing since she finished unplaced in the VRC Oaks last November, after which she was found to have a bone chip in a knee.

The winner of the Gr. 1 ATC Sires' Produce Stakes at two and the Gr. 1 Spring Champion Stakes in October, Yankee Rose ran third in last year's Cox Plate behind Winx.

Yankee Rose jumped with the leaders in the 1000-metre trial and worked home nicely after taking a sit to be fourth behind noted speedster Mishani Sleuth.

The time of 61.01 seconds was the slowest or the day, but the trial was run early when the track still had a heavy dew.

As well as the bone chip, the filly has had problems in the past with tender feet and trainer David Vandyke was more than happy with her yesterday.

"She has been back for 20 weeks and a lot of people have put in a lot of work to get her to the races," Vandyke said.

"She seemed to enjoy it and she did exactly what we wanted. She will have two more trials and then head to Melbourne for the Memsie Stakes (August 28)."

Stakes winner Charlie Boy showed he would be a welcome addition to trainer Tony Gollan's stable with his second in another trial behind Savannah Amour.

Charlie Boy was originally trained by the Peter and Paul Snowden partnership and won the 2016 Gr. 3 Liverpool City Cup.

He then had a stint with Ciaron Maher in Melbourne and was sent north after finishing last in a race at Flemington in March.

The gelding has won four races and A$830,000 prize-money.

The John Meagher-trained Savanna Amour, who was having her first hit-out since winning the Gold Coast Guineas in May, is also heading south for the spring.