Sobek set for Rosehill debut as Singleton anticipates Highway Handicap success

Trainer Scott Singleton has grown accustomed to Sobek's winning ways and is keen to unveil the undefeated gelding in metropolitan racing this weekend.

Sobek is scheduled to make his city debut at Rosehill's season-opening meeting on Saturday. The talented four-year-old has been nominated for two 1200-metre events: the $160,000 Benchmark 72 for three and four-year-olds, and the $120,000 Class 3 Highway Handicap. Singleton appears to favour the latter.

He is aiming for his fourth consecutive victory to start his career, following two wins at Scone this preparation and a maiden win at Taree in January. Singleton admitted he hadn't foreseen the gelding progressing through the grades so swiftly.

"It wasn't until a couple of weeks before his first trial that he actually started to show us anything at home and he's just kept getting better as he's gone along," Singleton revealed. "He's had five trials and three starts and won everything, he hasn't been beaten yet in a trial or a race, so obviously he knows how to win, which is a big tick for any horse.

"I just feel like he's strong enough and probably got enough race craft now to go down for a Highway and be pretty hard to beat."

Sobek, who turns four on Saturday, is a son of Vinery stallion Headwater. His dam, Holy Empress, is out of Holy One, a daughter of the Woodman mare Pure Grace, who was a half-sister to the former Bart Cummings-trained champion, Saintly.

Although Sobek's victories have been over 900 and 1000 metres, Singleton is confident the gelding will prove even more effective over 1200 metres. A commanding 4-1/2-length win in a 1200m trial at Muswellbrook on July 15 solidified the trainer's belief that he was ready for the longer distance.

"Even though he's won over 900 and 1000, I think he will be better over 1200," Singleton commented. "I just wanted him to show us at the trials the other day that he'd be strong through the line over the 1200 and he was, he just kept galloping, so I'll be going there confident that he's in the right order."

Singleton has not charted a long-term plan for Sobek, but he acknowledged that a strong showing on Saturday could lead to loftier aspirations.

"I'm just happy for him to tell us how he fits into the scheme of things," he said. "I wouldn't have him in front of another horse of mine, Lord Remlap, as a The Kosciuszko-type of horse, but I'm open to the fact he might surprise me again on the weekend.

"When they're improving you don't know where that improvement stops, do you?"

The $2 million The Kosciuszko, a 1200-metre race restricted to horses trained in regional New South Wales, is scheduled for Randwick on The Everest Day, October 17.

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