Scott Spackman hopes Rocket Tiger can get back to his best in Stan Sadleir Stakes

Rocket Tiger will carry the top weight of 62 kilograms in the $32,000 The Daily Advertiser Stan Sadleir Stakes (1400m) at Wagga.

Rocket Tiger has not raced on his home track since his fifth placing in the Wagga Town Plate earlier this year, which followed up a dominant victory in the prelude.

The former top two-year-old has done all his racing this preparation in the metropolitan arena.

He ran third at Caulfield first-up and then was a credible 10^th in the group two Gilgai Stakes at Flemington.

The Spackman camp were left scratching their head after failing to beat a runner home in a Benchmark 78 at Randwick last start.

Spackman hopes having jockey Shaun Guymer back on, who rode him most of last preparation, can help get Rocket Tiger back to his best.

"S Guymer back on, we'll see where we're at," Spackman said.

"We've got to find out where we're at. I cannot fault the horse. I'm just dumbfounded on how a horse can run the race he did. He had excuses at Flemington but he gave me a big fat nothing in Sydney."

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Spackman conceded the 1400 metres is a query for Rocket Tiger but believes it is an experiment that has to happen.

"The query is he's been over 1400 once and went terrible. Let's not sugarcoat it," Spackman said.

"Put it this way, we're in a pickle. We've been in a pickle ever since his two-year-old career.

"We've got to travel, we've got no choice. We have a quality horse like him and he comes back from injury, the handicapper's just not listening and we're struggling to place him where he should be placed.

"He's had three big trips away. I thought his first up run was absolutely outstanding, I thought we've got him back, get in the queue here.

"I threw a big dart out there second up and I was disappointed there with how he was ridden. Then at Sydney, I'm just putting that down to one bad run. It was the worst run of his career, even through everything he's been through.

"I just hope we get him across here (on Friday) and he goes and gets the job done. He should.

"The one chance he's had at the 1400 he was ridden completely out of context, as far as speed wise and I think if you go back and look, they ran a track record that day. He relaxes too much not to (get 1400m). You can switch this horse off."

The one day Rocket Tiger did run over 1400m was the SDRA Country Championships Qualifier earlier this year when he finished 14^th after racing three-wide without cover on a hot speed.

Spackman believes a successful attempt at 1400m can open up a world of opportunities.

"With Shaun on, he'll just give me me an honest appraisal," he explained.

"If he gets it, it opens up big doors for him, as far as bush racing, you've got the Snake Gully Cup in two weeks, there's the new race at Canberra and then you can put him away and bring him back for the Country Championships. It's just to get back to where we should be.

"If he gets 1400, it just ticks a lot of boxes and I can target those races and you can still come back to the sprints if you have to. There's still plenty of racing left in him.

"I'm just hoping like hell that we get it right. If the real Rocket Tiger turns up, say no more."

Rocket Tiger is the $2.90 favourite with TAB, with the field now down to nine after five early scratchings.

Spackman will also have three-year-old filly Bowled Roamer returning from a spell to have just her second race start in the $30,000 Country Boosted Maiden Plate (1200m).

"I'm hoping for a nice run. I really like the filly," Spackman said.

"We haven't seen the best of her. Hopefully she can show us something and it's onwards and upwards."

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