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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Keith Dryden has the fingers crossed promising mare Buenos is good enough to overcome a small concern he has heading into her TAB Highway (1500m) debut at Rosehill on Saturday.

There’s no doubt from the trainer that the four-year-old is up to winning a Highway, and she could be a Country Championships prospect in the autumn, but he said in an ideal world the race would be 1400m.

With 53.5kg on her back, however, and a last start win ridden upside down he’s prepared to give it a shot.

“The concern for me is perhaps we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves,” Dryden, who co-trains with Libby Snowden, said.

“She’s only a lightly framed filly so I tend to be a bit easy on her and she might be a little on the fresh side. We’ll see how we go, there’s always another day if we don’t go any good.

“I think she is up to this class at least. She amazes me because she doesn’t seem to be doing much work when she gallops but when I break it down with my E-trakka she’s running good times in certain furlongs.

“She’s a nice horse on the way up, she’s still a bit raw but she’s got a fair stride on her and that makes it easier.”

Buenos, $8 with TAB on Wednesday, has won three of her four starts and in her latest win over 1300m at Canberra she was ridden in a more forward position as Dryden was wary of a tearaway leader.

Buenos wins at Canberra on September 19

Apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag got the job done but the mare wasn’t as visually impressive as in her first-up win where she swept home from off midfield.

“She was probably a bit closer than generally we wanted but we worked out the leader would go quick and I said to Bec we didn’t want to give it too much start,’’ Dryden said.

“We had to take her out of her comfort zone a bit and ride her closer than what she normally would have been.

“I did like the way she knuckled down the last bit. I thought there was enough merit in it to be going forward and go to a Highway.”

Dryden said his apprentice’s job at Rosehill will be to ensure Buenos isn’t strung up on the inside having drawn five in a 17 horse field.

“I think she likes a bit of galloping room and hasn’t been inside too many horses,’’ he said.

“She can be a bit temperamental, Bec’s apprenticed to me and has done a good job so I decided to let her ride.

“If we can get away clean and can get away from the fence a bit I’d like to see her have a crack down the centre of the track.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s meeting at Rosehill