Neville Parnham pleased with barriers for Railway fancies after Zipaway and Bustler draw gates 12 and 10

Last year’s triumphant trainer Neville Parnham was pleased with what he was dealt at Tuesday’s Group 1 $1.5 million Swan Draught Railway Stakes (1600m) barrier draw at Ascot, with Zipaway and Bustler drawing gates 12 and 10 respectively. Zipaway surged to $6 TABtouch second favouritism for the prestige contest after his eye-catching first-up fourth in the Lee Steere Stakes behind Casino Seventeen ($11), while Bustler is a $16 chance to recapture his crown. The two galloped together on Tuesday morning at Ascot, with Bustler emerging marginally superior, though Parnham said that was no surprise. “(Bustler) always works better; he’s always been a really good trackworker,” Parnham said. “Bustler sat on Zipaway in the workout - Zipaway tends to go a little bit strong - and they joined together at about the 400m and (Bustler) probably shaded him a little bit, but the workout was pretty strong. “I’m not concerned at all with anything. Both horses are going in very fit and very ready for the race. Parnham said he was relieved to see Belclare ($10) accept for the race, meaning Bustler would only carry 56kg and not be the topweight. “I still think it’s a winnable weight, despite history saying that the minimum is the weight you really want to have,” Parnham said. “I think both horses will run well and I’m not disappointed with their barriers. “They’ll both probably be in the moving line, which is a good spot to be in.” The last five winners of the Railway have carried 53kg with four of those five being four years of age, meaning history points to Zipaway. Parnham’s son Steve, the regular rider for both geldings, had the torturous decision of choosing between the runners before electing to steer last year’s WA Guineas winner. “It was a hard decision for him to get off Bustler - he won the Railway on him last year - but he’s been in that position a few times,” Parnham said. “He won on Playing God twice and then got off him to ride Ihtsahymn as a three-year-old in the Kingston Town (now Northerly) and he’s done that on other occasions as well, but he’s generally pulled the right rein. “Going on his first-up run, where he was quite a good effort at weight-for-age conditions, he drops a fair bit in weight and he can only come on from that run. “If (Laqdar Ramoly) had stayed on the fence, he probably goes really close to winning it. “I guess I was a little bit happy that he ran fourth so that (the handicapper) couldn’t get hold of him and give him a penalty.” Jarrad Noske was the most recent rider to claim a WA Group 1 after booting home Dom To Shoot to win last year’s Northerly Stakes and now picks up the ride on Bustler. “We thought about it a fair bit. Brad was on Magnificent Andy and Chris on Super Smink, so I couldn’t grab them, but of the local riders I threw Jarrad’s name in to Santo (Guagliardo),” Parnham said. “He had a bit of a look over east, but at the end of the day, local knowledge goes a long way at this racecourse. “He’s a strong rider and I believe that is what he needs.” Parnham thought Super Smink would be the hardest to beat though hit with barrier 18, and outlined Light Infantry Man ($5.50 into $4.80 post-draw) as the big winner from barrier two.