De Montfort Takes Hawkesbury Option

Trainer Mark de Montfort has opted to run dual acceptor Ready Set Sing at Hawkesbury on Saturday in preference to Sunday's Kembla Grange in a bid to get the luckless four-year-old back into the winning list.

Ready Set Sing will contest the Griffin Air Conditioning Class 1 Handicap (1500m), with his trainer deciding to keep him against his own class.

"I also accepted with him in a Class 2 over 1600m at Kembla where obviously he had less weight, but this looks a more suitable race," de Montfort said.

"The horse deserves another win."

De Montfort purchased Ready Set Sing for $26,000 at the 2012 Sydney Classic yearling sale. The son of Oratorio has won only once from 15 starts, but has notched six minor placings and returned his owners - including his trainer - more than the original outlay.

"He's a pretty genuine horse," de Montfort said. "What you see is what you get with him.

"He always put himself up on the pace and tries hard."

Ready Set Sing won a 1400m 2YO Maiden Handicap at Kembla Grange in July last year.

He beat Quayside, who has since progressed to win an 1800m Listed event at Morphettville in September, defeating subsequent recent Flemington spring carnival winner Held Hostage.

The gelding was placed at three consecutive provincial outings before a last-start fourth (beaten just under two lengths after being blocked for a run) to Unique in a Benchmark 69 Handicap (1550m) at Canterbury on November 19.

That effort alone should make him hard to beat dropping back to provincial company and with stable apprentice Jess Taylor's 2kg claim lessening his weight to only 2.5kg above the limit.

Taylor shared the Hawkesbury apprentices' title last season with four other male riders (Sam Clipperton, Taylor Marshall, Yusuke Ichikawa and John Kissick), and currently is the outright pacesetter with four wins in this season's premiership.

"Jess rides really well, and keeps impoving," de Montfort said. The apprentice is in good hands as de Montfort was a former outstanding jockey who won the 1999 Golden Slipper Stakes on Catbird.

Taylor has mounts in seven of the eight races at Hawkesbury. She also rides Smooth Element and Vanishka for Hawkesbury trainer Scott Singleton and Gatubela for fellow Hawkesbury trainer Garry Frazer, as well as Two Ronnys (Gary Portelli), Boratora (Greg Hickman) and Electrician (Pat Webster).

Another Hawkesbury trainer Darby Gerard has taken a lugging bit off Top Rankin, one of Ready Set Sing's rivals, and replaced it with a standard bit.

Anthony Cummings, who has trained 10 winners so far at Hawkesbury this season (double his closest rivals Clarry Conners and Tony McEvoy), has one runner at the Saturday fixture.

He will be represented by Poet's Fortune (Adam Hyeronimus).