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By Ray Hickson

It’s unusual for Dragonstone to not feature in the placings but that’s been his story so far this spring and something trainer Mark Newnham is quietly confident can be corrected in Saturday’s $300,000 The Warra (1000m) at Kembla Grange.

Trainer Mark Newnham.

Dragonstone is one half of Newnham’s assault on the feature sprint, with stakeswinning mare A Very Fine Red also engaged, and the trainer is returning to the factory settings with the sprinter, who finished top three in 11 of 14 starts, in order to bring out his best.

That means taking the blinkers off and getting back down in the weights.

“I’ve run him twice this prep in blinkers and he hasn’t run a place so it’s probably significant,’’ he said.

“He’s won his races without them, I just thought going to Caulfield he might need them. As it turned out he drew the wrong side.

“I was hoping it might give him a bit more gate speed but it hasn’t so we’ll go back to what we know.

“It’s the right sort of set up for him, he likes a fast pace and 1000m. The track will be in good nick without being too firm and he has a nice light weight. He’s a small horse so down on 53.5kg it’s quite an advantage.”

Aside from his maiden win, where he carried 57kg, Dragonstone hasn’t carried more than 54kg to victory and he’ll come in 0.5kg under that when Tom Sherry rides on Saturday. He won the Benchmark 78 sprint at the same meeting last year, his only start at Kembla, carrying 51kg.

Newnham is adamant the gelding is in good form despite his two fifth placings at Caulfield first-up and last start in the Choisir over 1100m at Randwick.

In the latter, while unplaced, he clocked 32.94 for his last 600m (Punter’s Intelligence) so it’s hard to argue with Newnham’s assertion that he’s racing well.

“At Caulfield he had the wrong draw on that track and Randwick was too firm, it got to a Good 3 in a really fast race,’’ he said.

“It was a hard track to make ground on, the leaders didn’t stop and he still ran very quick sectionals.

“It’s unusual for him not to run in the first three and that’s been him in two starts back but I think he’s had legitimate excuses.

“He just needs the right circumstances now but he’s up to a grade where it’s harder to win.”

While Dragonstone, $5.50 with TAB on Thursday, is the more favoured of the Newnham pair he warns A Very Fine Red ($10) shouldn’t be underestimated as she also had excuses when unplaced at Flemington last start.

She was a Listed winner second-up at Caulfield and while she did make ground to be beaten three lengths in a Group 3 at Flemington three weeks ago he said she was never in her comfort zone.

“It probably didn’t suit her coming between runners, she’s always had her best form when she’s had a bit of room,’’ Newnham said.

“When she won at Caulfield she came up the inside of horses, but it was only horses to her outside and nothing inside. She’s drawn to be able to ride back off the speed and come to the outside.

“In a fast race, with a bit of room at the top of the straight, she’ll hit the line well. Hopefully they are stopping and we’re finishing and it works out all right.”

Dragonstone runs fifth at Randwick on November 1

Meanwhile, talented sprinter Big Parade won’t be seen until the latter part of the autumn after an injury put paid to his spring and any Everest ambitions but Newnham said time is on his side.

After winning the Sydney Stakes last year and being runner-up to Shelby Sixtysix in the Group 1 Galaxy earlier this year, the gelding was expected to graduate to the top level this season but only made it as far as a couple of trials.

“It’s nothing major, he just needed to have a rest,’’ he said.

“We had some tests done and he had a bit of bone bruising in a hind leg but nothing significant.

“He’s six but that’s not old in our sprinting ranks especially for a horse that’s only had 18 starts. He’ll return back end of autumn with Brisbane in mind.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Kembla Grange meeting