Matt Dunn covets a feature race victory at Grafton and will get two bites of the cherry this week.
Having dominated racing in the NSW northern rivers region for the best part of a decade, it is little wonder Grafton’s annual July carnival looms large on Matt Dunn’s radar.
But despite a few attempts, Dunn has been unable to claim either of Grafton’s flagship races, a statistic he hopes to change when he runs Snitz in Wednesday’s Ramornie Handicap (1200m) and Laure Me In in the Grafton Cup (2350m) a day later.
“We’ve won 10 or 11 of the last premierships in the Northern Rivers but haven’t been able to win a Ramornie or a Grafton Cup. One would be good, both would be better,” Dunn said.
“We’ve haven’t had much go around in the Grafton Cup but in the Ramornie, we’ve had a few runners without much luck. Hopefully we can make up for that on Wednesday.”
COVID restrictions are likely to prevent the top Sydney-based jockeys making the trip north, prompting Dunn to snap up the services off local Matthew McGuren to partner Snitz.
McGuren rides the bulk of the stable’s runners in the region and partnered Snitz to his debut win at Grafton four years ago.
Snitz has been mixing his form, finishing second in the Takeover Target Stakes two starts ago then failing to beat a rival home in his latest appearance at Randwick in May.
Dunn has since given the six-year-old a freshen up and hopes that will spark him back to his best form.
“He spent a couple of weeks down at Waratah just freshening up on the water walker, the treadmill, that sort of thing since his last run and it’s done the job. He’s in a good headspace,” Dunn said.
“That’s the main thing, horses at the pointy end of their career like he is, as long as you keep them happy they will run well.”
Scone Cup winner Laure Me In returns from a two-start Brisbane campaign where he struggled to let down on the firm tracks.
Dunn is confident he can bounce back on a more forgiving surface, provided he handles his first test at the journey.
Jim Byrne has been tentatively book for the mount but if the Brisbane jockeys are unable to travel to Grafton, McGuren is on standby.
