The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young team is expecting a change of fortune when two of their three-year-olds meet in a race at Flemington.
Nostringsattached and Daggers will face off against each other in the K A Morrison Handicap (1400m) on Saturday.
While it is not ideal for the stablemates to be clashing, Busuttin said it was a race that looks to suit both three-year-olds.
Busuttin and Young held high hopes for Daggers last spring after he won his first two starts and was potentially heading to the Caulfield Guineas.
But after defeats in the Exford Plate at Flemington and then the Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley, the decision was made to give the colt a break.
Resuming in March, Daggers finished second at Flemington over 1200m before being outsprinted in the World Pool Classic when dropped back to 1100m.
Daggers then made the trip to Adelaide where he came from back in the field to finish midfield behind The Goodwood winning three-year-old Reserve Bank.
“Daggers has been racing better horses than these,” Busuttin said.
“He didn’t have much luck last start, he drew inside Reserve Bank and Reserve Bank went forward and sat outside the leader and we went back to last.
“I thought he ran very well.”
The Busuttin and Young team also held Guineas aspirations for Nostringsattached who was an emergency acceptor in the Australian Guineas at Flemington in March.
Unsure whether he would gain a start, they elected to start Nostringsattached two days prior with the colt winning the Future Stars at Pakenham.
A trip to Sydney followed where he was narrowly defeated by Sergeant Major in the South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick during The Championships.
More recently Nostringsattached finished last in a race at Caulfield on May 3, a performance that Busuttin said should be forgotten.
“Last start was a non-event,” Busuttin said.
“It was messy, he was favourite, it was very hard the Caulfield track that day, and he didn’t appreciate it and threw his head about.
“We’ll forgive him one bad day. If he turns up, he can bounce back.”
