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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Kieren Hazelton has never harboured unrealistic expectations since taking over the training of Marnoo but with the gelding chasing a hat-trick at Wellington on Monday he’s really warming to him.

The gelding was purchased for $5000 back in March and didn’t show a whole lot in his first few starts but since the Gilgandra trainer has got to know him and stretched him out in distance everything has changed and he now looks a bargain.

Kieren Hazelton with Marnoo after winning the Werris Creek Cup at Quirindi (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Marnoo started this prep with defeats in non-TAB Cups at Gulargambone and Mendooran. He goes into the Stuart Town Pub Ironbark Inn Handicap (1600m) eyeing a hat-trick.

“It’s hard for any horse to win three in a row especially when they have average ability. But it seems we’ve found the key to him,” Hazelton said.

“I think getting him up in distance has been that key. He’s such a good doing horse it took him three or four runs to try him at the trip.”

Kody Nestor rides Marnoo and it was after he rode the horse for the first time at Dubbo in early October he told Hazelton he had a miler or middle distance type on hands.

He showed improvement at his first run over 1600m at Narromine before taking out a Class 2 and a Benchmark 66 at the trip at Moree and Quirindi.

“For a horse that was unplaced in a benchmark 50 a few starts back you’d say he’s turned the corner,’’ Hazelton said.

“He’s done well to step up to 66 grade out of just an average Class 2.

“He’s had the run of the race in his last two but he had to tough it out a bit the other day.

“They fanned on the corner and he was carted out wide, Clayton (Gallagher) said he dug in again when the horse swept up outside him.

“He seems a real line finder. He’s strong through the line, he can race on pace over that trip and find the line still.”

Hazelton said he’s pleased to see the owners of Marnoo having some success. Many of them were first time owners when they previously bought into a horse with him that didn’t perform to their hopes.

He said it’ll be interesting to see how he handles Wellington but sees no reason why he won’t hold his form and gives him a solid chance of securing a hat-trick.

“I don’t think we lose anything with Kody going back on him, Clayton is suspended, and I wouldn’t say it’s any stronger than the race at Quirindi,’’ he said.

“It’s one of those tracks where if you can race in the first three or four it gives you a leg up.

“He’s a tough gelding, since the first day he’s been in work he’s never left anything in feed bin. He seems to go home and inhale his tucker and goes again.

"I wouldn’t say he’s bounced out of the run any better but he certainly hasn’t gone backwards.”

While Marnoo has the recent form on the board, Hazelton expects to see stable favourite Order Of Merit build on a much improved last start second.

The eight-year-old was tardy at the start and let the trainer down in his first three runs this time in but he was a different horse over 1400m at Warren two weeks ago.

“I was confident going into Warren, he wasn’t jumping in his races for some reason but the ultimate gear change was putting Jake Pracey-Holmes on him and he jumped about three quarters in front,’’ he said.

“You’d argue if we got the run winner got up the straight he runs him to a shorter margin.

Marnoo wins at Quirindi on November 13

“He’s one of my favourite horses, he was a giveaway when he was unraced and we’ve had him since his first start.”

It might be worth keeping an eye on what Order Of Merit produces at Wellington as Hazelton said he has a race in mind for the gelding in two weeks.

All the fields, form and replays for Monday's meeting at Wellington