HAVING posted back-to-back wins for the first time in his career, Diesel Shannon has been one of the improvers in Peter Bullock’s stables this season.
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Come tonight at the Bathurst Paceway, however, the gelding is in for a challenge.
After backing up a victory at Cowra on May 29 with success at Dubbo earlier this month, the four-year-old will step up in class for the Western Advocate Pace (2,260 metres).
He has also been handed a tricky draw, set to go from barrier seven, so Bathurst trainer Bullock is realistic about Diesel Shannon’s chances of making it three consecutive victories.
“He has run placings at Bathurst before and I know his form suggests he will be right in the market, but he is striking a lot harder field here,” Bullock said.
“I’d rate him as a place chance if he gets the right run. He is one of those that has to get a soft run and not do too much work.
“He can lead if he draws well enough, but from where he is tonight he will sit and sprint.”
While Diesel Shannon has not managed a win at Bathurst in 12 attempts – those races mixed between the old Showground Paceway and the new track – his form has been improving.
From 12 starts this season he has picked up four wins and another four minor placings, whereas his last campaign landed just one win from 28 attempts.
One of his placings this season was a narrow half neck defeat at Dubbo on March 6 in which he had to work three wide early, while Diesel Shannon’s winning run at Cowra saw him come from four back on the pegs with a lap to travel.
He will have experienced reinsman Michael Munro in the gig tonight, a man who has steered the Modern Art x Classic Cordon gelding for a bulk of his 40 career runs.
“He is racing well; he’s had a good campaign. He’s had about a dozen starts and won four of them, but it’s going to be tough for him tomorrow night from the outside [draw] and stepping up in class,” Bullock said.
“The last one he won by a head and the one before that was a dead heat for first. He never wins by big margins, that’s just the type of horse he is.”
Bullock will also have Haka Shannon in action at Bathurst tonight, the Bettors Delight gelding set to race for just the third time this year.
The trainer will take the driving duties with him, but away from the race track he has plenty to keep him busy as well.
“At the moment we are still working close to 40, but a lot of them you don’t see at the races. We do it all here, we break them in, so while it’s a big number of horses we have, it is not a big number that we have racing at any one time. We only race 12 or 15 at any one time,” he said.
“It does keep you busy, but you have got to keep looking for the young ones. Going to the races is the easy part of it, trying to get the young ones going is difficult compared to that.”
Tonight’s eight-race meeting will get underway at 5.47pm.
