Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett hoping patients pays dividends for French import Singing

THE owners of French import Singing hope they will be doing exactly that during the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

Jamie and Kellie Lovett with ‘Protectionist’.

THE owners of French import Singing hope they will be doing exactly that during the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett claimed the 2014 Melbourne Cup with Protectionist but has been forced to be more patient with Singing, which is likely to have his Australian debut on Saturday.

It was originally planned Singing would run in the Melbourne Cup won by Protectionist, but that blueprint went out the window when the stayer suffered a tendon injury.

Singing, once rated more highly than Protectionist, had a series of injury problems and has not started in more than a year since running second in a German Group 1.

Now under the care of Kris Lees, Singing has been in training for six months and is set to resume in a 1900m benchmark handicap at Canterbury on Saturday.

Singing has also been nominated for the Tattersall’s Mile Handicap (1600m) at Doomben on Saturday, but Lovett confirmed he would not be coming north.

With the stayer’s injury history and also having had so long off the track, Lovett said he was not a betting proposition on Saturday.

But it is the start of an elite path towards the Group 1 Metropolitan at Randwick in October then hopefully the Caulfield Cup during the Spring Carnival.

“If he is fit and well, he would not be out of place in any Group 1 race in Australia,” Lovett said.

“I thought he was a genuine Caulfield Cup horse when we purchased him.

“Then he had all sorts of problems overseas and we have had to be incredibly patient with him.

“He has now been in training for six months or so, having a very long and slow European style preparation.

“He has been off the scene so long that obviously he has to win some races and get his rating up to get into a race like the Caulfield Cup.

“But if he doesn’t get into that sort of race, something like the Mackinnon (now Emirates) Stakes could be on the cards for him.”

“We will take it day by day with him but it is fair to say that I certainly have a very good opinion of him.”

Originally published as Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett hoping patients pays dividends for French import Singing