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Nigel Blackiston has trained the winner of the David Bourke Provincial Plate three times and will start Ferro Nero in this year's race at Flemington.

Nigel Blackiston is keen to boost Ferro Nero's rating and is hoping the gelding can do that in a race the trainer is no stranger to winning.

Ferro Nero runs in Saturday's $100,000 David Bourke Provincial Plate (1600m) at Flemington which is restricted to horses who have raced at least three times in non-metropolitan races in the past year.

Blackiston has won the Provincial Plate with Another Trick (2002), Woodwin (2009) and Menados (2012).

Ferro Nero took a while to break his maiden but managed to win twice last preparation at Kilmore and Sandown.

Blackiston believes Ferro Nero can make a nice middle-distance horse and says the immediate goal is to win races to get his rating up.

Ferro Nero steps to 1600m second-up on Saturday after a midfield finish over 1206m at Sale.

"I think he's a very nice horse," Blackiston said.

"Mentally and physically he's finally grown up a lot but I still think there's more room for improvement.

"It's just a nice race for him second-up, going forward to possibly more ground later on."

Blackiston said Ferro Nero took benefit from his first-up run and believes he's at his best when he can get to the outside.

Ferro Nero, to be ridden by Darren Gauci, is at $31 but Blackiston isn't discounting the four-year-old's chances of figuring.

"I don't believe in wasting runs," Blackiston said.

"I think it's a nice race for him. He's down in the ratings and it would be nice to run a place or win so we can get his rating up.

"There's some nice horses above him but I think he's a nice, progressive horse that's going to improve and get better."

Ferro Nero is one of two runners at Flemington for Blackiston, with two-year-old Shadow Prince contesting Saturday's Bay and Ranges Handicap (1400m) at his fifth start.

"He's a nice style of a horse," Blackiston said.

"He's still got a lot to learn and with time and more experience he could make a nice middle-distance horse."

The trainer said Shadow Prince, a last-start runner-up in a metropolitan class race at Sale, would need to run well to progress to the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) two weeks later.