Bel Sprinter on song but Rocket Man out

By Mathew Toogood

MELBOURNE, May 8 AAP - Bel Sprinter's preparations for the Krisflyer International Sprint continue to go to plan and his chances of victory have seemingly improved before he even leaves Australia after the withdrawal of a key rival.

Singapore's champion sprinter Rocket Man has been ruled out of Sunday week's KrisFlyer (1200m) after suffering a minor setback.

"That's one less good horse to worry about, that's all," Bel Sprinter's trainer Jason Warren said, but added his charge would still face a tough field.

Bel Sprinter leaves for Singapore on Sunday and Warren said everything was going to plan with the Group One winner who is in quarantine at Denistoun Park.

"He's pretty much bang on," Warren said.

"Apart from the winter coat trying to break through, his weight is right where it was before he travelled to Sydney for the Galaxy.

"Everything is right where it should be I think."

Warren is excited to be taking a horse abroad and believes Bel Sprinter will be hard to beat so long as he runs up to his recent form.

Bel Sprinter was a stunning winner of the Galaxy first-up before his third to Black Caviar in the TJ Smith Stakes last month.

"If he takes that form over there you would expect him to be hard to beat," Warren said.

However, the trainer conceded the humidity in Singapore was a concern because Bel Sprinter is a "free sweater".

"We are having a shot at the stumps, there's a chance he won't handle the humidity and the travel and that sort of thing but at the end of the day if it happens to work it's a big prize," he said.

"He is a gelding and prizemoney is what we are sort of aiming for."

Trainer Patrick Shaw said Rocket Man had some slight swelling in the joint on the near foreleg after his work last Saturday and he had run out of time to get the sprinter to the KrisFlyer.