Lamasery (inside) won the Kingston Town Stakes at Rosehill last start

David Van Dyke has a real sense of contentment at the moment after his horse Lamasery won the Kingston Town Stakes at Rosehill last start.

The horse has always been good and Van Dyke has always had a rap on him but you sense there was still a question mark on him as to whether he was a genuine top liner.

That appears to be beyond doubt now and Van Dyke is happy to see a shift in interest from being the chaser to being chased himself.

“It’s a nice change to have some of the senior riders ringing up looking to get on him,” he said.

The five year old will contest the Colin Stephen Handicap across 2400m this Saturday at Rosehill against what is shaping as a quality field.

“He’s done very well he had a good gallop this morning,” Van Dyke said.

“He’s gone ahead since his last start win and I’m very confident that providing he gets the 2400m he’ll run very well.”

That’s the real test for the horse, he’s never been beyond 2000m to date in his career.

“On breeding he shouldn’t get further than a mile but he’s got such an economical action,” he said.

“If I look at the horse I think he’ll get 2400m  but if I look at the pedigree I think we’re in trouble.”

That being said Lamasery did run out the full 2000m last start and that was only the second run of his prep.

“I was always a bit sceptical about whether he was going to do it, 150m out I said he was untitled to run second,” he said.

“In 14 starts no horse has ever gone past him on the straight, anything that’s beaten him has been in front of him already.”

That’s a huge rap for any horse and Van Dyke says he’s in a position to continue that record after a full week of recovery.

“It knocked him about a little bit but he’s really responded over the weekend and he’s back where I wanted him,” he said.

Lamasery could be sent to Melbourne after this run if the track conditions are deemed more suitable and his form holds up to the 2400m.

Connections will simply follow the sunshine with Lamasery’s eight career wins coming from 11 starts on a good or dead rated surface.