Suncraze finished an 8.2length ninth to Notio in Saturday’s $125,000 TAB.com.au Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens.

The Melanie O’Gorman-trained five-year old jumped out well from his outside barrier and settled in fourth early, but got caught three-wide and then couldn’t go with the leaders in the straight.

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The step-up in distance Tamworth trainer Melanie O’Gorman has long forecast for her popular sprinter Suncraze is nigh, as the five-year-old gelding looks to rebound from a poor last start, at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day, with a Rosehill Gardens assignment on Saturday and a debut over 1500 metres.

Ahead of The Kosciuszko (1200m) last month, in which Suncraze was a fast-finishing second to roughie Belflyer in the $1.3 million inaugural race, O’Gorman said she would build the horse towards running the mile.

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He finished 12th out of 16 horses at Flemington on November 6, in a benchmark 90 for four- and five-year-olds.

But O’Gorman said he was “galloped on” in the race, cutting his hind leg. She hopes that was the reason for the poor showing.

“I think it [1500m] should suit him better, the way he was racing,” she said. “I think we just put a line through Melbourne because he didn’t really put in at all, so I can’t really take much out of that.”

Suncraze has five wins, eight seconds and a third placing in 18 starts for almost $573,000 in prize money, including three wins in Sydney. He won at Highway Handicap at Rosehill in September last year.

When asked if Suncraze’s best was yet to come, O’Gorman said: “I’ll tell you after Saturday. I hope so [that he will improve].”

She said Saturday’s race would “tell us whether he’s looking for a mile”.

Suncraze's regular rider Corey Brown has been replaced by apprentice Jean Van Overmeire for Saturday's $58,000 TAB.com.au Handicap – a benchmark 88 race. Suncraze is the second top weight for race, at 59 kilograms.

O’Gorman said: “Before I nominated the horse, his benchmark was still 88. So I was worried he was going to be carrying 90kg. And so we just decided to claim with Jean Van Overmeire, because he claims 2kg in the city.”

She said Suncraze “seems to have done really well” on the trip from Melbourne to Sydney, “working nicely” at Warwick Farm on Tuesday.

“So I feel now is a good time to attempt the step up in distance,” she said, adding: “Looking at the way the horse is, I think he’s in really good shape. So I guess this will tell us whether he needs to go to the paddock for a spell.”