Clearly Innocent is also entered for the G3 Newcastle Newmarket (1400m) at Newcastle on Friday but trainer Kris Lees has confirmed the Canterbury Stakes – which he won last year with Le Romain – will be the gelding’s weekend mission.

Bowman was on the sidelines when Clearly Innocent, with Jason Collett aboard, resumed with a strong-finishing sixth to Kaepernick in the G3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 17 after being stopped in his tracks at a vital stage in the straight.

Bowman has ridden the six-year-old five times for two wins including the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm last May and placings in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben and G2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

He also rode Clearly Innocent when eighth to Redzel in the inaugural The Everest (1200m) at Randwick last October.

Lees is keen to test the gelding over 1600m this campaign and has aimed his preparation at the $3 milion Doncaster Mile at Randwick on April 7.

His final Doncaster lead-up will be the $1 milion George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 24 when Lees will need to seek a replacement rider as Bowman will be committed to champion mare Winx.

Lees will run Sound Proposition in Friday’s Newcastle Newmarket and may also accept with Artlee.

Sound Proposition, after Randwick 1600m and 1800m victories last winter, was freshened and finished a close second to Got Unders in the G3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) at Newcastle last September.

He was then fifth in Happy Clapper’s G1 Epsom (1600m) at Randwick and fourth in the G2 Crystal Mile at Moonee Valley before spelling.

“Sound Proposition has trialled twice and is ready to begin a new campaign in the Newmarket,” Lees said.

“There’s a possibility I could also run Artlee. I’ll see how he progresses in the next couple of days.”

Artlee was having only his second run after a long layoff in last Saturday’s G3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at Randwick. He finished eighth to Crack Me Up.

Lees has decided not to send Prized Icon to Melbourne for Saturday’s Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.

“I wasn’t comfortable putting him on a float and backing him up after he chased Winx home last Saturday,” Lees said.

Prized Icon will be aimed at the Doncaster Mile with his next run at Rosehill in either the G2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) on Saturday week or the G2 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) a week later.