Eric Musgrove can find several reasons for giving quiet achiever Stop The Traffic his chance in Saturday's $200,000 AV Hiskens Steeplechase at Moonee Valley.The Zabeel gelding has won six country steeplechases but hasn't landed a big race win and ran probably the best race of his career when a 2-1/2 length runner-up to the brilliant Geeorb in the St Steven Steeple at the Valley three starts back on June 20.The rising seven-year-old scored by four lengths from Jamraan in a Moe Steeple (3375m) las

Eric Musgrove can find several reasons for giving quiet achiever Stop The Traffic his chance in Saturday's $200,000 AV Hiskens Steeplechase at Moonee Valley.

The Zabeel gelding has won six country steeplechases but hasn't landed a big race win and ran probably the best race of his career when a 2-1/2 length runner-up to the brilliant Geeorb in the St Steven Steeple at the Valley three starts back on June 20.

The rising seven-year-old scored by four lengths from Jamraan in a Moe Steeple (3375m) last Saturday.

"He's a quiet achiever. He's quietly improved all the time which he was bred to do," Musgrove said.

"He's done everything right and while there might be a couple in it that have got a little bit on him, better than him, the fast pace will suit him."

The Cranbourne trainer expects New Zealander Spirit Of Alaton and Geeorb to set a solid tempo.

"He'll be competitive because he goes well at the track and he has trained on well," Musgrove said of Stop The Traffic.

"I think he'll be at least a place chance because he's very fit and very well and the thing I've learnt is that you can't win it if you aren't in it."

Musgrove, who knows what it takes to win the big jumps feature races, is after his third Hiskens having won it with Lord Veloso in 1995 and Palace Symphony in 1997.

If he has a query about Stop The Traffic it is the longer 4050m journey at which he hasn't won.

Out of the Royal Academy mare Argyle, Stop The Traffic was originally prepared by John Hawkes and won a 1200m open two-year-old event on debut at Kembla Grange in February 2005.

As a spring three-year-old he ran fifth to Pendragon in the Group Three Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill.

Musgrove had yet to engage a rider for Stop The Traffic while co-trainers Fran Houlahan and Brian Johnston were also searching for a replacement for Trent Wells on Pentiffic.

Wells was suspended for careless riding at Kilmore on Tuesday.