Lord Remlap, an emerging sprinter from the country circuits, has strongly asserted his credentials as a major contender for the Kosciuszko, extending his perfect winning record with a hard-fought Highway Handicap victory at Randwick.
The four-year-old gelding has now firmed into $8 for the prestigious October feature, having made it four wins from as many starts on Saturday, despite facing a wide passage from his challenging outside draw.
Trainer Scott Singleton admitted to having reservations about the barrier before the race but was never worried during the event, such was his confidence in the horse.
“I never felt panicked,” Singleton said. “I’ve just got a bit of faith in him. I haven’t had too many this promising, and we thought that even before he had a race start. He’s still not the finished article yet, but he’s big, he eats up, and he will come on from that. Bright future for him.”
The timing of Lord Remlap’s Highway Handicap (1200m) victory is particularly opportune, as the sweepstake for the Kosciuszko will be drawn on Wednesday.
The gelding, whose other victories were recorded at Scone (twice) and on Randwick’s Kensington track earlier this year, is almost certain to capture the attention of slot holders, especially given his prominent position in the market.
Singleton confirmed that they were eager to race and had been targeting this goal for a significant period.
“We gave him a break and brought him back at the right time of year, just with the hunch that he is good enough,” he stated. “The timing is right to set him up in the right way.”
Singleton’s previous runner, Melody Again, finished eighth in the Kosciuszko (1200m) last year, but he believes Lord Remlap will be better suited to the sprint distance.
“I had Melody Again in it last year but the 1200 was just a bit short for her,” he explained. “This horse, I’ve always felt he’s the most promising horse I’ve had. Whether it turns out that way once he does a bit of racing time will tell. But I think he’s definitely better than Highways.”
Ridden by Mikayla Weir, Lord Remlap ($5) secured the win by a short neck over Move She Can ($91), with Bengal ($41) a further half-length behind in third.
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