AS a younger horse Paul Theobald's Dunderry was a runner who could produce an early burst of speed then sprint home and while those days are now behind him, the Bathurst trainer is still has high hopes for him in Sunday's Diggers Cup.

Run by the Narromine Turf Club each year, the Diggers Cup is a 1300 metre, $15,000 race.

Though Theobald has been to Narromine before, Dunderry having twice run there for a second and a fourth placing, Sunday will be the trainer's first attempt to win the Diggers Cup.

"It will be my first stab at it," he said.

"I love going to Narromine, it's a beautiful track. I think it's the best wet weather track we've got in New South Wales and I am amazed they don't race there more often. I'd go there every day of the week if I could."

Now a six-year-old, Dunderry has not made the trip to Narromine for almost two years. But Theobald believes he will not be troubled by the track, especially with experienced jockey Ken Dunbar in the saddle.

"Kenny and I do form a good team, I've got plenty of things in my trophy cupboard that says that," the trainer said.

One of the reasons Theobald has targeted the Diggers Cup for his Murphy's Blu Boy x Lyric Of Song gelding is due to the distance it is contested over.

Almost all of Dunderry's previous runs have been in contests ranging from 800 to 1,110 metres, but as he has aged, his racing style has changed.

"He's older now so he doesn't have that early speed any more, he wants to get to the front at a more leisurely pace," Theobald said.

"The young ones, the three-year-old and four-year-olds, are good at getting out and they are straight into it, the pace is on straight away. That is what he used to do.

"So the key now is to run him over the longer distance so he has a chance to get into it.

"This time in he's ran second twice over 1,200 metres and that is what I put it down too."

Theobald is hoping after the younger members of the field battle for the lead in the opening stages of the cup, the tempo may back off a little and allow Dunbar to work Dunderry into a position to challenge.

If the Bathurst gelding gets near the head of the field, Theobald said he is strong enough to challenge for the win.

"He finds the line alright, but he doesn't like to do it at both ends of a race now that he's a six-year-old," he said.

"He's a smarter horse now which suits me. As a horse he is changing, so I have to adapt as a trainer as well."

Meanwhile, Theobald is pushing for a Diggers Cup to be included on the program for Bathurst Thoroughbred Racing's ANZAC Day meeting next weekend.

When his father-in-law, a former digger, died recently he found amongst his possessions a Bathurst Diggers Cup trophy.

It was run at the old Eglinton track from 1920 to 1937.

"It's a pretty impressive trophy, it's about 18 inches tall. I'd love to reinstate it at Bathurst as the Blackburn Diggers Cup," Theobald said.