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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Lou Mary can only hope lightning strikes twice as he returns to the scene of his first city win, with the horse that handed it to him, when Proverbial resumes at Rosehill on Saturday.

Lou Mary (Pic: Bradley Photos)

It was the TAB Highway (1100m) on the corresponding meeting 12 months ago that the mare, as a $51 chance, stunned everyone with her easy win.

Mary doesn’t expect Proverbial to be a despised outsider this time around and while she hasn’t trialled he says she’s had the right foundation to repeat the dose.

“I don’t trial my horses too much. She knows what she’s doing, she’s a very professional mare when she comes to turning up on race day,’’ he said.

“I think she races a touch better when she comes in fresh.

“She’s had a beautiful preparation, a good build up, she’s been in for 13-14 weeks and it was always the plan to start her off early in the winter.

“She’s been quite consistent and it’s a very similar race to what she’s been against in the past.”

Proverbial, $17 with TAB on Wednesday, has had seven Highway starts since that win a year ago and recorded three second placings, including her last two prior to a spell behind Just In Reach on Christmas Eve and Pokerjack on January 7.

Dylan Gibbons partnered the five-year-old in the latter and Mary is again making use of the top apprentice’s 1.5kg claim. With a middle draw in what will be no more than a 13 horse field he expects to find a forward position in the run.

“She always shows a bit of gate speed when she’s fresh and all her better runs have been when she’s in the first five or six with cover,’’ he said.

“We don’t want to be too far from the leaders. If she’s good enough hopefully she can run them down late.

“Even though she didn’t win last preparation she was consistent and the form around her was quite strong I think.”

If Proverbial happens to repeat history, Mary said consideration will be given to finding a Listed race in Brisbane in an attempt to bolster her pedigree.

“We’d have nothing to lose. She would have to impressive to consider it but you’ve got to have a crack and if it doesn’t work out you can always come back (in class),’’ he said.

The Scone trainer has about 16 in work and said while he’s still waiting on stables to open up on track couldn’t be happier with how his team is progressing.

Proverbial runs second at Rosehill in January

He’ll likely send last start Dubbo winner Ideel Girl into Sunday’s $30,000 Shorty Cribb Aberdeen Cup (1280m) at Muswellbrook given the forecast for some rain early next week.

He said the four-year-old is at her best on top of the track and if the forecast is right his preferred option of a 1200m Benchmark 64 at Gosford next Thursday might not suit.

“She’s very fast on top of the ground but as soon as we get a softish track it takes the sprint out of her legs,’’ he said.

“We’ll see how the weather plays and make up our mind.”

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