A decision to scale down and move to Queensland will reap its reward for former Victorian trainer John Stanton if veteran stayer Molotov is successful at Eagle Farm.Molotov, one of only three horses in work for Deagon-based Stanton, will be ridden by Stradbroke Handicap-winning jockey Jason Taylor in Saturday's St Margaret's Anglican Girls School Handicap (1820m).Stanton, 67, made the decision to move to Queensland just prior to the Brisbane winter carnival after training for more than 30 years

A decision to scale down and move to Queensland will reap its reward for former Victorian trainer John Stanton if veteran stayer Molotov is successful at Eagle Farm.

Molotov, one of only three horses in work for Deagon-based Stanton, will be ridden by Stradbroke Handicap-winning jockey Jason Taylor in Saturday's St Margaret's Anglican Girls School Handicap (1820m).

Stanton, 67, made the decision to move to Queensland just prior to the Brisbane winter carnival after training for more than 30 years in Victoria.

"I started off working as a foreman for eleven years with Geoff Murphy and he gave me my start in racing," Stanton said.

"When Geoff started to scale down he gave me boxes he had at Mornington for two years rent-free.

"Geoff was the first trainer to have a pre-trainer in those days and I used to do it for him."

Molotov was the first horse Stanton started when he came to Queensland.

"I came here at the start of the winter carnival and won the Gatton Cup with Molotov," Stanton said.

"I took him north for the Townsville Cup but I had to leave him there with Garry Dickson when I had to come home for a hip operation.

"Garry did a good job in the two runs he had up there with him."

Stanton believed Molotov was unlucky when the gelding finished fourth to Hussonator in the Townsville Cup (2100m) on July 23.

"He missed the start and then had to cover a lot of ground when he was caught wide," he said.

"He managed to get his head in front at the 100-metre mark and only just got beaten by about two lengths."

Stanton, who wants to maintain a small team in work for a select band of clients, has never had a metropolitan winner in Brisbane.

He rated his best horse as former jumper Bula Naitasi, who was equally as good on the flat.

"Bula Naitasi has been my best horse so far," he said.

"He won the Tooheys Tran Tasman hurdle race at Canterbury (in 1991) and he also ran third in a jumps race they held at Eagle Farm that year.

"All up he won almost $200,000 in prizemoney and that was when it was hard to get in those days."

"Bula Naitasi was also pretty handy on the flat. He won two Marwong Cups at Bendigo."

Stanton's only previous Queensland winner was Gatemaster who was successful at Caloundra in September 1991.

He rates Molotov a strong chance but would have preferred a better barrier than 13.

"His alley isn't perfect but with any luck he'll being weighing in," Stanton said.

"He's a good old horse and is very sound and he doesn't know he's ten."