Shane Fliedner’s promising three-year-old Shamateur made it back-to-back wins when he led all the way to win the 1200-metre Swan Hill Demolition Group Benchmark 64 for three-year-olds on last Sunday’s Swan Hill Cup card. 
Despite a last-start maiden win, Shamateur ($21) started as the outsider of the field. 
A change of tactics has been the key to the Shamus Award gelding this preparation — leading in his races has helped correct his tendency to overrace. 
That change has paid dividends, with Shamateur fighting off all challengers in the home straight last Sunday to prevail under Cory Parish in a tight photo finish over race favourite Acta Non Verba ($3.20)
“We set him for this race a while ago.” Fliedner said.
“He’s still a very immature horse but he’s got plenty of ability.”
Fliedner and Shamateur’s connections will now set their sights higher, with his next start in either a heat of the Creswick sprint series at Flemington or a heat of the Silver Bowl series at Caulfield. 
It was a successful Swan Hill canival Fliedner, was also scored at last Friday’s opener with our-year-old Sooboog gelding Summer Night, who  broke through for his maiden win at start number 14.
Given a peach of a ride by Stephen Brown junior, Summer Night ($31) travelled well outside the leader before letting down powerfully to record a three-length victory. His more fancied stablemate Alvin ($5) had to settle for third. 
The original plan was to back up Summer Night two days later in Sunday’s drought-breaker maiden, but Fliedner was happy to take the Friday win that rendered the chestnut ineligible.