Duggan has Diamond Diesel motoring on the road to country cup

Trainer Adam Duggan is quietly confident that Diamond Diesel can continue on his winning ways when he tackles the Grafton Toyota Big Dance Eligibility South Grafton Cup (1610m) on Sunday.

Diamond Diesel has been racing in great form of late, having won three of his latest four starts, including a victory at Rosehill in April before finishing fifth in the Takeover Target Stakes at Newcastle.

He has since impressed with strong victories at Randwick and Warwick Farm, the latest in the Civic Stakes.

“He’s flying, this horse,” Duggan said. “He’s a winner of three of his last four starts and he’s a winner of eight from 21. He has a bit of quality about him and Andrew Adkins rides him, and he got the job done well on him in the Civic Stakes and knows him well now.”

Diamond Diesel is adept on wet tracks, but Duggan doesn’t think an improving surface will hurt his chances at Grafton.

“He’s stepping up to the mile on Sunday, and that’s a little concern,” said Duggan. “He’s been dynamic over the 1400m in his latest two wins, but stepping up to the mile, with the blinkers on, I hope he can just settle well.

“I couldn’t have him any better than he is, and with that in mind he should be very hard to beat.”

Last year’s South Grafton Cup winner Cepheus will line up again in this year’s event with Nash Rawiller taking the ride.

Cepheus finished second in the Big Dance last year and Rawiller is only going to Grafton for one ride. Cepheus is trained by Matthew Dunn, and he has a number of leading contenders engaged to start at the feature meeting leading into next week’s Ramornie Handicap and Grafton Cup meetings.