Racing: Wingatui pair hard to separate

It is said a lot can change in a week - be it racing, sports or even life.

But eight days on from Natuzzi and The Diamond One's track gallop at Wingatui, they find themselves alongside each other once again.

The pair of precocious Taieri thoroughbreds will jump from adjacent gates in today's $100,000 group 3 Stewards Stakes.

Natuzzi has drawn barrier 9, with The Diamond One set to be loaded immediately outside into barrier 10.

The TAB found it equally hard to split them, opening them up at $5 apieceFor Natuzzi, it is a chance at redemption after copping a check with 300m to go in last year's Stewards.

''Hopefully, we're not running up the bum of one at the 300, but from out there he shouldn't have too many traffic problems,'' his trainer, Paul Richards, said.

Richards has opted for a similar programme to last year, although the abandonment of the Ashburton trials in late October forced him and The Diamond One's trainer, Steven Anderton, to give the pair a track gallop on Melbourne Cup day at Wingatui last Tuesday.

''We're happy with him,'' Richards said.

''He's eating good and looks good. We haven't done much with him since [the track gallop]. He's been trotting and cantering.''

Richards said the 6yr-old handled last season's Australasian travels well and the northern spell seemed to work.

''If anything, he might be a wee bit more mature. When he came back from Auckland after he spelled up there, he had furnished a wee bit.''

Anderton is equally happy with The Diamond One, and he feels the mare has really come into her own in the past month.

He decided to opt for the 1200m of the Stewards rather than the 1400m Canterbury Breeders Stakes with her long-term goal in mind.

''I pretty much made my mind up the other day after the gallop,'' Anderton said.

''I just think it will give us a chance to get a line on what we do with her after that and which path we look at after that. I think the 1200m is going to suit her because they'll go hard up front and she should be able to be travelling nicely - she won't overrace anyway.''

Both Richards and Anderton are wary of the lightweight, Soubrettes.

''I know it hasn't been beating much and it's only had four or five starts in its life, but it's won pretty easily in its last two and it's run a bit of time,'' Richards said.

The Brian and Shane Anderton-trained Valiant gives Wingatui a third hope in the race, the 5yr-old opening up at $26.

The unconventional methods of Central Districts trainer Dummy Myers look set to pay off again, after Scapolo's massive run in the Pegasus Stakes on Saturday.

The reigning Coupland's Mile champion will return to Riccarton today to defend his crown just four days after an eye-catching fourth over 1000m on Saturday.