Trainer Darren Weir’s pre-race fears were unfounded after Gun Case lumped his topweight to victory at Moonee Valley.
A winner of 11 of his previous 27 starts, Gun Case took out Saturday’s Strathmore Community Bendigo Bank Handicap over the shortest trip at Moonee Valley of 955m.
Ridden by Dean Yendall, Gun Case ($9) scored by three-quarters of a length from Danuki ($17) with the favourite Badajoz ($3) a nose away third.
Weir felt Gun Case faced a difficult task because the sprinter is small horse and he had to carry 60kg.
“I thought he might have had a bit too much weight,” Weir said.
“He’s a little horse and was carrying a lot of dead weight with Dean riding at 49 kilos later in the Cox Plate.
“But Dean kept him smooth from the wide barrier.”
Weir said Gun Case may now have deserved a shot at a better class race but was unsure what was on offer during the Melbourne Cup carnival.
“I think that’s a bonus winning that race today but he probably deserves his shot a little better race now,” Weir said.
“He’s now a 100 rater and to get to that rating you must be a good horse.”