Diplomatic Force gets the chance to atone for his unplaced effort in the Goodwood when he contests Saturday's Straight Six at Flemington.Trainer Wayne Nichols said the gelding ran out of room in the straight when he finished 11th, beaten 5-1/2 lengths, behind Lone Rock in the Group One Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 8."He made ground up along the fence which probably wasn't the ideal spot to be," Nichols said."I'm not saying he would have won but he didn't have a clear passage and he c
Diplomatic Force gets the chance to atone for his unplaced effort in the Goodwood when he contests Saturday's Straight Six at Flemington.
Trainer Wayne Nichols said the gelding ran out of room in the straight when he finished 11th, beaten 5-1/2 lengths, behind Lone Rock in the Group One Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 8.
"He made ground up along the fence which probably wasn't the ideal spot to be," Nichols said.
"I'm not saying he would have won but he didn't have a clear passage and he could have finished closer.
"Barrier two was always going to be a problem there as we knew he was going to get back and the runs didn't come."
The six-year-old shouldn't have any traffic problems in Saturday's Listed 1200m feature as he will jump from barrier 10 in an 11-horse field after topweight Zedi Knight was scratched on Friday due to a foot abscess.
Only comeback galloper Carnero is drawn outside him.
"I'm feeling good about this race as he's in nicely at the weights, he won at Flemington four starts back and his other runs there before that were in strong races such as the Patinack Farm Classic and the Danehill Stakes," Nichols said of the 2008 Group Two Yallambee Classic winner and Group One Goodwood placegetter.
Craig Robertson, who has ridden Diplomatic Force in all seven runs this preparation, retains the mount.
Nichols said while the tracks were reasonably firm and the sprinter was going well he would keep him going.
The Golden Topaz (1200m) at Swan Hill on June 10 is an option being Heat four of the 2011 All Victorian Sprint Series as Nichols is keen to run Diplomatic Force in the $150,000 Final (1200m) at Flemington on July 9.
Meanwhile dual Group One winner Yosei is on trial for next month's Group One $1 million Stradbroke (1400m) at Eagle Farm when she resumes in the Straight Six.
Trained by Stuart Webb, Yosei hasn't raced since finishing 10th to Brazilian Pulse in the VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington last spring.
She was sharpened up with a second in a 990m Cranbourne trial last Monday week.
Yosei was ridden by Michelle Payne when she won the AJC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick as a two-year-old and the Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield as a spring three-year-old.
However Payne's partner Mark Zahra takes the ride on Saturday as Payne has just resumed riding trackwork after suffering a slight fracture to a vertebra in her neck in a race fall at Caulfield in February.
The Mick Price-trained Dubleanny, who has won five of her six starts down the straight at Flemington, is $2.30 favourite with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Perturbo at $6, Liveandletdie at $6.50, Diplomatic Force at $7.50 and Yosei next at $11.