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Monterey Zar will chase his first Sydney win since returning from an extended layoff.

Wagga trainer Gary Colvin already has one Kosciuszko contender on his books and he is hoping to unearth another when Monterey Zar takes the next step in his remarkable comeback in the Highway Handicap at Randwick. 

The gelding sustained a tendon injury after winning his third start at Wagga in December 2018 and spent more than two years on the sidelines recuperating. 

He finally made it back to the races in April this year and in three subsequent starts has managed a win and a close second at Wagga, before making late ground for third to Underground Music in a 1200m Highway Handicap at Rosehill in May. 

It has been a long road but Colvin never wavered in his belief he could get Monterey Zar back on track. 

"He did a tendon and we knew he had ability so we gave him plenty of time to get over it," Colvin said. 

"We did take our time. We used the pool and swam him a lot, he did treadmill walking and it looks like it has paid dividends." 

Monterey Zar will stretch to 1400m for the first time on Saturday and while he has placed on a slow 5 surface, he is untested on anything worse. 

Colvin is confident the horse will handle both challenges and if he can notch a first Highway win, the Kosciuszko might become a serious goal. 

"He has been running some times over 1200 and while this will test him, I could have a Kosciuszko horse if he keeps improving," Colvin said.  

The trainer, who has 20 horses in work at Wagga, is already targeting the Kosciuszko with stablemate Another One, who underscored his credentials with a terrific second in the Country Championships Final at Randwick in April. 

The three-year-old is back in work and likely to have one or two runs over the winter before being freshened up in the hope he can gain a slot in the October feature. 

"I'm just rapt in the way he's going. He has come back bigger and stronger than ever and he will be set for the Kosciuszko," Colvin said of Another One.