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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Matthew Dale has pencilled in a Country Championships campaign for honest mare Super Norwest if she passes an important test at Rosehill on Saturday.

Matthew Dale (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The TAB Highway will be the four-year-old’s first attempt at 1400m and that’s a box Dale wouldn’t mind ticking before her preparation ends.

After three successive placings, twice behind Lonhro’s Queen and last start to Intervarsity, Dale said notwithstanding her distance test Saturday’s assignment looks within her reach.

“She’s been super consistent this preparation and certainly deserves a Highway win and that’s why we’ve kept coming back,’’ he said.

“She’s drawn well, 1400m for the first time is a slight question mark but she ran out the 1300m strongly I thought.

“The timing definitely falls in line with a possible tilt at the Country Championships so the 1400m angle is with that in mind.”

Super Norwest, $3.40 with TAB on Friday, drops to a Class 2 Highway and draws a gate that’s to Dale’s liking after she’s had to do that little bit of extra work in her recent Highway attempts.

She crossed from a wide gate to sit outside the leader at Rosehill two weeks ago and hit the front just before the 200m before Intervarsity pounced.

“We’ll take advantage of the draw and she’ll be well and truly up on speed,’’ Dale said.

“Usually she‘s been beaten by a nice horse and not had everything go her way. She’s rock solid fit and I think she will get her chance.

“She continues to thrive this preparation and has done so again since last start.”

Cavalier Charles might be double figure odds in the Mounties Group Handicap (1200m) but Dale said he likes how much speed there appears to be in the race and that will suit him much better than two weeks ago.

The gelding started $5.50 when beaten 1.5 lengths by Kazou and ran the third fastest last 600m of the race (34.11, Punter’s Intelligence) so Dale felt it was more than a pass mark.

“Last start they went steady fractions and it was a sprint home,’’ he said.

“He had to make a sustained run around the outside and he wasn’t beaten far.

“This race looks a bit different, a big field and I don’t think there’s any other way that it can be run than at a genuine tempo.

“It looks a tough race but it should be genuinely run and that’s what he likes.”

The six-year-old has finished fourth in the past two editions of The Kosciuszko and Dale is hopeful of a third attempt later this year.

Super Norest runs second at Rosehill on August 17

Matthew Dale on No Drama (race 5): “He came out at Rosehill off a solidly run race and he was a bit lost, he looked gone for a few strides. Once they got around him he surged again. He’ll roll forward, Tim (Clark) knows him well know and I think he will run a bold race again.”

On Boston Rocks (race 10): “I thought it was a big improvement in how straight he went late in the gallop. He was on a week back up and he was just a bit outsprinted but I was happy with how he applied himself. It’s a no excuses sort of set up. He will run well.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Rosehill meeting