A change in routine and a return to weight-for-age conditions has trainer Neville Parnham hopeful of back-to-back Kingston Town Stakes wins with Playing God.The four-year-old needs to bounce back from a disappointing Railway Stakes performance but Parnham has taken a different approach in the past fortnight to try to make that happen on Saturday at Ascot.Parnham notched the first Group One of his career when Playing God won last year's Kingston Town (1800m).But his defence was looking shaky when

A change in routine and a return to weight-for-age conditions has trainer Neville Parnham hopeful of back-to-back Kingston Town Stakes wins with Playing God.

The four-year-old needs to bounce back from a disappointing Railway Stakes performance but Parnham has taken a different approach in the past fortnight to try to make that happen on Saturday at Ascot.

Parnham notched the first Group One of his career when Playing God won last year's Kingston Town (1800m).

But his defence was looking shaky when he returned home from a Melbourne spring campaign and turned in a flat performance for 14th carrying 57kg in the Railway (1600m) on November 19.

"I sent him down to my farm for the past couple of weeks. He's been in a paddock all the time and he's really enjoyed that," Parnham said.

"He's been going to the beach and I've just tried to freshen him up and that seems to have worked very well.

"He came to the track on Tuesday morning and that's his only (track) workout since the race. He's a pretty fit horse and it's just a matter of keeping him nice and fresh and he seems happy."

Playing God has barrier five with race favourite Luckygray to begin from the outside gate in the 14-horse field.

Three-year-old King Saul, an impressive winner of the WA Guineas like Playing God last year, has barrier 10.

"He (Playing God) is one of the fortunate ones to have drawn well. He puts himself in a position behind the leading bunch and of all the horses in the race he's the one that's really suited by the weight-for-age," Parnham said.

"I think he's got a few things in his favour.

"It's just a matter of whether he's freshened up enough and still got that sprint in his legs at the end of the race.

"I've done everything I can to try to regain that and I'm confident I've probably achieved that but it's up to him tomorrow."

TAB Sportsbet has Luckgray as the $3 favourite ahead of Ranger $3.60 and King Saul $5.

Playing God, a winner of six of his 21 starts and more than $1 million prizemoney, is at $14.

The four-year-old is chasing his first win since February but was placed in the Australian Guineas and Australian Cup in Melbourne in the autumn and Group One WA Derby in April.

He added another Group One placing in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington during a five-start Melbourne spring campaign.