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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Scott Singleton has left nothing to chance to give consistent mare Dollar Magic her best opportunity to break a string of minor placings when she resumes at Hawkesbury on Saturday.

Trainer Scott Singleton (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The five-year-old has won three of her 17 starts but since her last win, one year ago this weekend, she has recorded seven second placings, including her last six straight all in benchmark city grade, and one third.

In the process she’s collected over $300,000 for her connections, of whom Singleton is one, including $159,000 for her run of placings last preparation.

Singleton said as much as it’s great Dollar Magic keeps bringing home a cheque, he’d very much like to see her improve on her winning record in the Clarendon Tavern Handicap (1100m).

“Naturally you always want to win, regardless of money,’’ he said.

“It’s nice she’s earning money but I don’t go to the races thinking about that. You want to win, don’t you.

“I’d like to see her winning because I feel like it’s hard for them to improve if they’re not winning, if they can’t get that confidence out of knowing they won.

“She’s very fit, she’s more forward that she would normally be first-up knowing we have to go to that metropolitan Benchmark racing but I think she’s come back just as good as she went out.”

Dollar Magic, $7 with TAB on Wednesday, has been to the trials once – and ran second – in the lead up to her Hawkesbury return.

Reece Jones continues his association with the mare and Singleton said he’s pleased to see one of the likely leaders No Statement drawn alongside to give her a nice passage onto the speed.

He said from there she’ll just need to put into practice the ability to settle well in her races that she’s been showing this time around, that given some of her narrow defeats last prep may have been costly, to gain an edge.

“I think she needs the right run in that grade but I feel she just needed to settle a bit early in her races,’’ he said.

“Going on how she’s come back and judging on her trial the other day I reckon she’s got a bit more race craft this time.

“If she can save a length doing something like that it’s going win her one of those races.

“I didn’t look at the race and think it was any stronger than what she was racing last prep so she’d be in with a show for sure.”

The one caveat Singleton has relates to the track condition, if Hawkesbury remains in good shape he’s confident she’ll perform to her best but would be reluctant to ask her to run if the track became testing late in the day.

Stayer Vincenzo will be out to bounce back from a shock last start failure in the Blakes Marine Handicap (1800m) over a course he’s very familiar with.

The gelding failed when well in the market in the Orange Cup on April 19 but Singleton is prepared to be forgiving given his previous wins at Hawkesbury and Tamworth.

“It was a funny race, he didn’t have a lot of luck and never really got cover at Orange,’’ he said.

Dollar Magic runs second in a Scone trial on April 17

“They went slow down the straight the first time and he probably didn’t do too bad with the weight on his back.

“I’ve put the Norton bit on him just to get him off the bit early and mid-race so he can save himself for a bit better finish.

“He was very good winning at Hawkesbury a couple of runs ago. I wouldn’t think he’d be out of a race like that particularly dropping a few kilos.”

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