John Wallace believes AJC Australian Derby winner Shoot Out is on track to prove he's the best stayer in the country.Shoot out is progressing well since returning to work at the Gold Coast ahead of an ambitious spring campaign in Melbourne aimed at the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October and Melbourne Cup at Flemington in November.He will have his final start as a three-year-old when he resumes in the Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 31.It's an early comeback for Shoot Out who w

John Wallace believes AJC Australian Derby winner Shoot Out is on track to prove he's the best stayer in the country.

Shoot out is progressing well since returning to work at the Gold Coast ahead of an ambitious spring campaign in Melbourne aimed at the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October and Melbourne Cup at Flemington in November.

He will have his final start as a three-year-old when he resumes in the Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 31.

It's an early comeback for Shoot Out who won the Group One AJC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick at his last appearance in mid-April.

Shoot Out, who also won the Group One Randwick Guineas in March, will again be ridden by Stathi Katsidis throughout the spring.

"He's going well and I might give him a barrier trial soon at Doomben before taking him away," Wallace said.

"He's come back a lot bigger and stronger after his spell and he's filled out into a really nice horse."

Shoot Out will start every fortnight after the Bletchingly starting with the Liston Stakes (1400m) and continuing in the Memsie Stakes (1400m), Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) and Yalumba Stakes (2000m) before the Cox Plate.

Wallace has never saddled a Cox Plate runner but he did train Oompala who ran third to Jeune in the 1994 Melbourne Cup.

Shoot Out is a fairytale come true for owners Graham and Linda Huddy.

The couple were the backbone of the Mount Isa Jockey Club for a decade, though they now live in semi-retirement at their Peachester property on the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

The Huddys paid just $15,000 for Shoot Out as a yearling at the Magic Millions and have watched their investment earn more than $1.36 million in prizemoney.

For Wallace, Shoot Out has turned his life around.

It was only a couple of years ago he was laid up in hospital with serious health issues.

He later was disqualified for six months following a positive swab which led to his stable closing.

However, owners never deserted Wallace and were quick to return to the fold when his disqualification ended.

It wasn't long before the Huddys asked Wallace to train Shoot Out and he soon declared the gelding as the best horse he had trained as well as a potential champion.