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By Ray Hickson

It's already been a memorable season for Anna Roper and she says a stakes breakthrough at Rosehill on Saturday on in-form galloper Thunderlips would top it off, and cushion the blow of a coming suspension.

Apprentice Anna Roper (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The 22-year-old apprentice notched her 200th career winner earlier this week, and has 20.5 city wins for the season, and she’s rapt to get the reins on Thunderlips back in the Listed $200,000 Precise Air Winter Stakes (1400m).

Roper partnered the Bjorn Baker-trained gelding to victory at Randwick a month ago but watched on from the jockeys room as Josh Parr steered him home last weekend.

She’d like to think the Winter Stakes could pan out for her as things did back on June 7 where she landed Thunderlips in a stalking position from an outside barrier.

“We were giggling before the race saying if only I could put it in the one-one and the race was over,’’ she said.

“When we landed there I had a giggle to myself, thinking ‘how have I managed to pull that off’.

“The race did pan out perfectly for him. He was quite explosive late, which he hadn’t really shown much of but he showed it again last start.

“If it does work out how two starts ago did he’d be very hard to beat. With Whinchat in the race it’s always going to be a genuinely run race.”

Thunderlips, $4.80 with TAB on Thursday, had to do a lot of chasing to run tearaway leader Zouatica down last week under 59kg on a good track.

He'll drop 5kg and Roper said a forgiving surface is a big plus.

“Josh is a strong rider but he’s a horse that only does what’s asked of him and having a loose leader like that was always going to be a question mark for him,’’ Roper said.

“But he kept his mind on the job. He’s right in a purple patch of form and going really well.

“I’m heading off on suspension after Sunday so it’d be a nice cherry on top to get this win.”

Roper coaxed the best out of the Baker-trained Winning Proposal three weeks ago and she’d also like the Captivant @ Kia Ora Handicap (1100m) to play out similarly for the filly.

Punters dropped off her after she was beaten second-up when well supported behind Storm The Ramparts but Roper said she got it right from the moment the gates opened last time.

“She’s an interesting filly, she’s definitely got her quirks,’’ she said.

“As long as she jumps cleanly and puts herself in a similar spot to last start, and can contain herself in the race, she has a devastating turn of foot.

“You’ve got to keep her in a good headspace and she’s a really nice filly when she is.”

She’s particularly keen to see how Show ‘Em Howl performs in the Agency Real Estate Handicap (1300m) on the back of a first-up effort that had her stoked given the change in the gelding since she rode him to successive country wins in January.

He’s also entered for the TAB Highway (1200m) but is seventh emergency though Roper said after that fresh performance to run a close fourth behind Calico Miss she’s confident the lightly raced three-year-old can take the step up.

“His run in the Highway showed he’s matured this preparation out of sight,’’ she said.

Anna Roper rides Thunderlips to win at Randwick on June 7

“I couldn’t believe how well his manners were in the yard.

“If he gets a nice run it’d be nice to see him measure up in a nice field. If he gets a run in the Highway he’d be a very big chance.”

Anna Roper on Hell To Pay (race 10): “He’s a very honest little horse. The barrier is a little bit sticky but if he does get a run he’ll be right in the finish again. It might play into our hands, I did sit wide on him on the Kenso one day and he still hit the line.”

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