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By Ray Hickson

If winning machine Elson Boy can extend his streak to six at Rosehill on Saturday then trainer Dar Lunn sees no reason why connections shouldn’t chase a Kosciuszko dream.

Dar Lunn with Elson Boy (Pic: Grant Guy).

Lunn has already transformed the gelding once, from a back marker to a bold front-runner, and with a $2 million carrot there in October on TAB Everest Day he believes Elson Boy’s best can still be ahead of him.

That’s a fair call considering his five wins on end going into the Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap (1300m) but the Kosciuszko could be a chance to make up for having to miss the Country Championships Final through injury.

“If he comes out and goes well, wins or runs a place, we’ll probably tip him out for a month or six weeks and aim at the Kosciuszko,’’ Lunn said.

“He’s a better horse over 1300m and 1400m than he is 1200m but with a break, he’ll mature a bit more, he’ll be the type of horse that can head that way.

“I was devastated when he couldn’t go around in the Final.

“The way he’s come out and kept improving he would have been very hard to run down but you can’t look back on those things.

“Since we’ve treated him and come back he’s stepped to another level. I hope he keeps going.”

It’s hard to deny the form around Elson Boy’s last start win over 1300m at Scone a month ago.

On that day he drew 16 and worked to find the front, he was challenged by the runner-up Ostraka but lifted again to win by almost half a length.

Lunn couldn’t have known the strength of the race then but given Elson Boy, $7.50 with TAB on Wednesday, has now won seven of his last 10 starts – and that’s since he changed his pattern to lead in his races - he's proven quite smart in his own right.

“Jewellery came out and won at Caulfield and Annabel’s horse Ostraka won a Listed race in Brisbane the other day so the form out of it is good,” Lunn said.

“Any horse that can win five straight has a bit of ability. He’s won seven of his last 10 and you don’t get many do that.”

While it has been a month between runs, Lunn had his stable star ready to race at Rosehill two weeks ago but his race was called off so he's kept the gelding ticking over at home.

Apprentice Chelsea Hillier will be out to keep her unbeaten record on Elson Boy intact, she won the Gooree Cup on him at Mudgee six days before the Scone success which was her first at metropolitan level.

The Dubbo trainer, who says he’s never had a horse win five in a row before, had no hesitation in sticking with the emerging rider.

For the third start on end Hillier will have to contend with a wide barrier but Lunn said he’s not a hard horse to ride, especially given her experience with Elson Boy.

“Chelsea had won a couple of races for me on other horses, she’ll go forward on him and put him there and if they get beat then that’s my fault,’’ he said.

Elson Boy wins at Scone on May 18

“I think the 3kg did help him at Scone when he drew wide. She’s done nothing wrong, she won the Gooree Cup on him and rode him well.

“I thought she still claims 3kg in town and knows the horse so she deserves the ride.”

Elson Boy wasn't in TAB's pre-noms Kosciuszko market on Wednesday.

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