Local trainer Craig Carmody has his fingers crossed the weather in Sydney clears ahead of Saturday’s Royal Randwick meet, the horseman to be represented by two quality runners on the day.

Carmody will saddle two three-year-olds from his stable with promising High Chaparral gelding Single as well as Southern Image filly Awesome Image in two separate races at the Randwick meet.

After Randwick received 20mms of rain on Tuesday night, the track on the course proper was rated a Heavy 8 on Wednesday morning and Carmody hopes that the rain stays away.

“I would prefer both my horses run on tracks not too badly affected by rain,” he said.

“We’ll just have to wait and see for the time being.”

Single will kick things off, the youngster vying for their third career win from four starts in the $70,000 Australia’s Favourite Air Handicap (2000m).

Drawn ideally in barrier two Single faces a quality field of rivals with other top chances in the race including the David Payne-trained Diamond Jim (barrier 15), Gai Waterhouse’s Charging Cross (barrier three) and Peter Snowden’s in-form galloper Zachary (barrier seven).

Single faces a tough test, running against many horses with far more experienced, but Carmody remains confident they will rise to the occasion.

The gelding debuted just last month when winning a 1400m maiden at Newcastle on April 21.

They went on to run a game second to Capital Raising in a Class 2 over the Newcastle mile on May 7 before their last-start win in a Benchmark 75 Handicap over 1500m at Rosehill last Saturday.

“It was a nice win last Saturday and he has done very well since the run so I have decided to back him up,” Carmody said of Single.

“The horse pleased me no end and from barrier two he should receive a good run in transit.

“He appears ideally suited in a race like this and just requires a little bit of speed on.”

Kathy O’Hara took the mount on Single for the first time last Saturday had will continue her association with the progressive runner this weekend.

“Kathy liked his win although she did say he still has a tiny bit of learning to do,” Carmody said.

Carmody’s other Saturday starter, Awesome Image, has also shown plenty of promise over her eight-start career to date.

The daughter of Southern Image is one of 16 three-year-old fillies accepted for the $70,000 Fujitsu General Handicap (1400m) on Saturday, Awesome Image drawn in barrier six.

One of the 53kg light-weights of the field, to be ridden by Christian Reith, Awesome Image has not finished out of the money in her five most recent runs.

Her latest victory came on March 26 in a Class 1 Handicap at Newcastle, after which she ran third over 1500m and 1250m respectively on April 9 and May 18.

“She has been a very slow learner,” Carmody said of Awesome Image.

“She was quite immature in the head and proved a real handful when we first took her to the races, but she’s turned the corner.

“She’s a filly who really puts in and is as honest as they come.

“From her last five starts she has won two and been placed three times.

“She also possesses a really nice turn of foot.”