Watch out for Bustler!
That’s the message from trainer Neville Parnham.
Bustler’s return to racing is imminent after the classy five-year-old sailed through an important Ascot trial on Monday
The 2023 Railway Stakes champion gave Ain’t No Other Man a couple of lengths head start but quickly gathered him up with a sharp sprint late in his 1000m heat.
Parnham is keen to see Bustler back at the races and right a few things that went wrong after he went through last year’s Ascot carnival empty handed.
Bustler’s best performance in five appearances came second up in the Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) when a close second to Casino Seventeen.
Bustler will come out for a winter campaign in the Group 3 Belmont Sprint (1400m), a race he knows well after winning it two years ago.
Bustler has won seven races from 23 starts and banked $1.7 million in prizemoney, but Parnham thinks the best maybe yet to come.
“Bustler will front up in the Belmont Sprint, he won it two years ago as a three-year-old,” Parnham said on TABradio.
“We’re really looking forward to this campaign, he had mixed luck and not getting a lot of favours in the Railway and other races.
“Things didn’t fall his way, but he did run a very good race in the Lee Steere, all but won the race.
“He sort of had a mixed prep, but we’ve never had him as well as we currently have got him.
“I don’t have a real reason for that, he’s been real sharp in his work and I thought he trialled super yesterday (Monday).
“He doesn’t usually trial that good and he was pretty sharp.
“I’m extremely happy with him leading into this prep.”
Behind Bustler in the trial finishing an encouraging third was Parnham’s highly rated three-year-old September Born.
Parnham is just as keen to get the son of Playing God back racing after injury cut short his campaign last year.
He underlined huge potential in the Fairetha Stakes (1400m) but it all came apart next start when unplaced in the WA Guineas (1600m).
“Unfortunately, that day he pulled up with pretty severe bruising,” Parnham said.
“We walked away with our heads down, disappointed, but he’s had a nice break now and has come back in pretty good order.
“I thought his effort was solid in a fast run trial.
“I’m looking forward to him having another trial before resuming in about three weeks.
“He’ll run in a three-year-old set weights and penalty 1200m event.
“That will give him a good step into the 1400m of the Raconteur.
“And then into the set weights of the Belmont Guineas (1600m).
“That will be his path this preparation.”
Julio Santarelli