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By Ray Hickson

Soft 6 is the line trainer Peter Snowden has drawn for top weight I Am Superman to take his place in the $1 million TAB Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

Trainer Peter Snowden (Pic: Steve Hart)

Anything better and Snowden is confident the six-year-old is ideally placed, anything worse and he stays home and the stable’s attention turns to Exoboom knowing that testing ground is no issue for him.

I Am Superman has been marking time for The Gong since his unlucky eighth in the Classique Legend Stakes (1300m) behind Eduardo and last week’s The Hunter winner Lost And Running.

Snowden said he and co-trainer Paul Snowden have been rapt with the horse and hopes he’s able to unleash the gelding this weekend.

“Everyone knows he’s not as effective on wet ground,’’ he said.

“It’s a perfect race for him, just hopefully the weather isn’t as bad as they say. If it’s no more than a soft 6 I’m happy to go but if we got to a heavy 8 we’re out of play.

“Everything is right for him, it’d be disappointing to have to scratch because of track conditions. It’s worth so much money and he has a great chance.”

A gallop between races last weekend at Newcastle, under race day jockey Tommy Berry, was ideal according to Snowden and the barrier gods have served up exactly what he wanted.

I Am Superman was $7 with TAB on Thursday and with the inside barrier and a drying track Snowden would go there somewhat bullish.

“The draw is gold for him, it’s his biggest asset, he can be in the first four easily,’’ he said.

If the weather isn’t kind then I Am Superman could head to a race in Melbourne or the Group 3 Festival Stakes at Rosehill next week.

Snowden is looking to campaign the horse in suitable races in the summer so isn’t in a rush but a $1 million race is hard to ignore.

“I’m keen to go to the Villiers, especially when he only races every three or four weeks. It’s no drama, he’s an easy horse to keep ticking over,’’ he said.

Exoboom might be a $26 chance but Snowden is adamant he’s a much better chance than that, especially if the weather turns.

The four-year-old won the Filante Handicap (1400m) at Randwick last month then backed up into the Golden Eagle where he was beaten six lengths by I’m Thunderstruck and The Gong favourite Count De Rupee.

“If it’s heavy he comes right into play because he’s very good in wet ground,’’ he said.

“His best win ever was on a heavy at Wyong, it wasn’t a strong race but he won by about eight lengths. He just cantered through it.”

I Am Superman's run in the Classique Legend Stakes on October 30

Snowden said Exoboom simply got too far back to be effective in the Golden Eagle but said he wasn’t totally disgraced.

“What I did like about it is he took off at the same time as Joe Pride’s horse (Private Eye) and he didn’t finish that far in front of us,’’ he said.

“That’s what I liked, he stuck with that horse, so there was merit in the run for mine and he’s a far better horse than that.

“He’s going to get a nice run midfield, I don’t think there’s a lot of speed there but for a million bucks they won’t be walking.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's The Gong meeting at Kembla Grange