Trainer Gerald Ryan will launch a two-pronged attack in the Festival Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday when the Villiers Stakes hopes of Flaming and Synonym go on the line.Sydney racing has been criticised recently for its small fields but Racing NSW has received a solid 132 nominations for the eight-race card including 19 for the 1500-metre feature.Flaming, whose last victory was the Civic Stakes (1400m) last year, when trained by Gai Waterhouse, was transferred to Ryan in January.He made his debu

Trainer Gerald Ryan will launch a two-pronged attack in the Festival Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday when the Villiers Stakes hopes of Flaming and Synonym go on the line.

Sydney racing has been criticised recently for its small fields but Racing NSW has received a solid 132 nominations for the eight-race card including 19 for the 1500-metre feature.

Flaming, whose last victory was the Civic Stakes (1400m) last year, when trained by Gai Waterhouse, was transferred to Ryan in January.

He made his debut for Ryan at Canterbury in October after a long lay-off and has been unplaced in his four starts for the Rosehill trainer.

In his last outing, Flaming ran sixth to Causeyacan at Randwick on November 22.

"He had few niggling problems and has taken a while to get to fit but he's starting to tick over alright and hopefully we'll see him getting somewhere near his best soon," Ryan said.

"He was a bit further back for me than I would have liked but on Saturday I'll tell (jockey) Kathy O'Hara to get him closer to the speed."

Ryan is hoping stablemate Synonym can atone for a disappointing run at Randwick where he only beat two runners home in the same race as Flaming.

"He did well coming into the race but he just didn't fire and I can't put my finger on it," Ryan said.

Synonym has been a stable warrior for Ryan notching up five wins and 10 placings from his 21 starts.

"He rarely lets us down and I'll be surprised if he didn't bounce back," Ryan said.

The six-year-old was racing in good form in May when he landed consecutive Rosehill victories before heading to Queensland where he ran fourth in the Ipswich Cup and third in the Caloundra Cup.

"Both of these horses need to do something on Saturday to justify taking them to the Villiers," Ryan said.

The Group Two Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on December 20 is the major race of the Sydney summer.