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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Scott Singleton says he’d like to strike while the iron’s hot with lightly raced four-year-old Sir Remlap making his TAB Highway debut at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Scott Singleton (Pic: Bradley Photos)

Wary the gelding has already had his career interrupted by a tendon injury, sustained a year ago following a trial ahead of what was planned to be his second preparation, Singleton is confident he has the talent despite his inexperience.

He feels Sir Remlap, $2.90 with TAB on Thursday, will cope with a rain affected track and unless there’s some extraordinary rain he doesn’t see why he shouldn’t give him his chance.

“I definitely think he has a Highway win in him, it was whether I go one more run then go down,’’ Singleton said.

“It’s a Class 2 but if he wins again he’ll carry a bit more weight and on top of that with the leg issue he had I don’t want to scout too wide around rougher tracks.

“You never know which is going to be the run when they come home with some heat in in the leg again. I want to give him his opportunity down there, and I wouldn’t be taking him if I didn’t think he was a winning chance.

“His leg is remarkably good for the type of injury but I want to make every post a winner with him.”

Sir Remlap returned from his injury enforced break with a maiden win on a soft 7 on his home track at Scone back on November 19, he did it under 58.5kg and from the second half of the field.

Singleton said there was plenty of room for improvement fitness wise, as you’d expect coming off a long break, and the rate he recovered from the win was encouraging.

“It was a good win, naturally he was going to come on from it being his first serious gallop in 12 months,’’ he said.

“I wasn’t surprised that he came on but surprised how well he pulled up from it in the day or two after. He gets there, all going well between now and then, in good shape.

“I know I’ve won Highways with lesser horses than him. It’s probably not easy to win a Highway at your third start but I think he’s quite talented.

“The fact I think he’s going to go better than he went the other day is going to give him some hope.”

There is a back-up plan in place for Sir Remlap with Singleton accepting in a Class 1 at Tamworth on Monday.

Stable stalwart Dollar Magic, who strangely never won a Highway, will line up in the Kia Ora Prague Handicap (1100m) if the track holds up in the soft range.

The six-year-old has been freshened since running her eleventh career second placing when chasing Tristate home at Rosehill four weeks ago.

“She looks particularly well and is going as good as ever, there’s not many chinks in her armour,’’ he said.

“She just turns up and runs well every time and if she ends up there it won’t be much different, she won’t be beaten far if she does get beaten.”

It hasn’t been normal practice to run Melody Again on wet tracks but the consistent mare may be given the chance to run up to her breeding in the Precise Air Handicap (1400m).

With three minor placings on end, the latest another eye-catching third behind Watch My Girl at Newcastle two weeks ago, Singleton said it’s probably the right time to find out how she handles a forgiving track.

Incantation’s last start at Kembla Grange on November 16

“We’ve been careful racing her on heavy tracks, I may roll the dice with her now she’s right into a preparation,’’ he said.

“She’s by Your Song, she’d be the only one by him who doesn’t handle the wet if she doesn’t.

“Her racing pattern is her biggest issue, she gets a long way back. If she happened to jump and put herself midfield rather than out the back I’d be confident she’d be in the thick of it.”

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