Lightning fast sprinter Karuta Queen will contest this Saturday’s Listed Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill in her first run since a disappointing ninth-place effort in the Lightning Fingers Stakes in February.

Queanbeyan based trainer Neville Layt had planned to give the 2011 Magic Millions winner a barrier trial two weekends ago but had to forgo the run following a spell of bad weather.

Layt is not concerned by the lack of a trial for the filly that has so far struggled to rediscover the sensational form she produced last Spring which included victories in the Heritage Stakes and the Australia Stakes.

“I galloped her this morning and she worked beautiful. She’s right on her game and everything,” Layt said.

A born sprinter, Karuta Queen has scored six victories from 14 starts with all coming over distances ranging from 1000 to 1200 metres.

In 2012, the three-year-old has had two starts including the ninth-placing in the Lightning Fingers Stakes and a fourth-place effort in her first up start in the Rubiton Stakes.

Layt was not disappointed by the Rubiton effort and said the Light Fingers ninth was a small hiccup in what has so far been a highly successful career.

“She put in an enormous run down there in the Rubiton and she just put in a bad run for the first time in her life in the Light Fingers,” Layt said.

The Maurice McCarten Stakes will be run over 1100 metres and a total 16 horses have been nominated to run.

Among those horses are the experienced Joseph Pride trained gelding News Alert who has nine wins from 37 starts and four-year-old mare Panipique who is coming off a win in the Bob Hoysted Handicap.

Promising colt Uate has again been nominated to run his first race back following a spell after he was scratched last weekend due to wet conditions at Randwick.