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By Ray Hickson

It’s not every day a six-year-old gelding makes a winning debut but trainer Sally Taylor wouldn’t be shocked if Ask The Question did just that at Coffs Harbour on Sunday.

Trainer Sally Taylor (Pic: Trackside)

Taylor only took over training the horse in February when his owner send him down from Queensland where he’d given his former trainer all sorts of headaches.

He’d trialled in December and hardly lit up the track but it was a different story when he stepped out for the Coffs Harbour trainer at the end of August.

“The owner has been a good supporter,’’ Taylor said.

“He’s taken a lot of time, he had a lot of setbacks prior to me having him and he’s finally having his debut.

“He’s surprised all of us. With a six-year-old gelding you never really know what you’ve got because you don’t know if they have any sprint in their legs.

“He’s probably one of the best up and coming horses I have at the moment, even despite his age. He shows good ability in his work.”

Ask The Question has drawn the inside barrier for his debut in the Simon Chladil Handicap (1000m) and Taylor said that could offset giving away experience.

While Taylor is confident the gelding will excel as he steps out beyond the short course she said he’s shown more than enough at home and in his trial at Grafton to say a winning debut isn’t beyond him.

“Being six you wouldn’t think he’d be green but he hasn’t done a lot even though he is six,’’ she said.

“I expect a forward showing, just whether with the big weight 1000m will be a bit sharp. I expect he will get over 1200m and 1400m as he gets further into his preparation.

“He’s pretty tractable, he jumps and puts himself in a handy position so if he can settle in behind the leader and have last crack at them he’ll be quite strong late.”

Shamaton is one year older than his stablemate and will be having his 34th career start in the Sawtell RSL Sawtell Cup (1300m) having been freshened since a failure in Sydney.

Taylor said he was probably a little outclassed finishing 10 lengths behind Yorkshire at Kensington on August 14 but wasn’t too far off running fifth and hopes he can regain the form that saw him win the Daniel Baker Sprint (1200m) 12 days earlier.

“His first two runs he was still a bit underdone due to the wet weather leading in but third-up he was primed and ready to go,’’ she said.

“He’s been working well, he does most of his work at the beach to keep him sound and happy.

“I’d love to see him have less weight but with the rating he has he doesn’t get in with any less. On his old form he’s probably a class above them, he’s on par with them on his recent form.”

The gelding was formerly trained by Tony Gollan and has been in Tayor’s stable since late last year.

Ask The Question runs second in a Grafton trial on August 31

Her only concern surrounds the Sawtell Cup distance but given his only attempt was last start on a heavy track she’s prepared to be forgiving.

“He has to tick the 1300m box, we don’t really know if he runs it but on his home track there’s only one way to find out,’’ she said.

“We don’t want to get too far back, but not riding him out of his comfort zone.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday's Coffs Harbour meeting