Matthew Dunn aiming for fifth TAB Highway victory
CAN trainer Matthew Dunn make it five of the best at the 2016 TAB Highway at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday?
The local horse whisperer has won the race four times and looms as the man to beat again with two in-form runners in the $60,000, 1500-metre feature.
The Dunn-trained Delightful Feeling (59kg top-weight) will be accompanied by three-time race winner Say You Love Me (55kg) in the race.
“Delightful Feeling worked really well at Murwillumbah on Tuesday morning; we’ll claim on him with Nick Heywood. He’s come on really well since his last win,” Dunn confirmed.
“We’ll also accept with Say You Love Me. Her recent Highway run was good but Duchess Molly won’t be coming.”
Delightful Feeling powered home to win at Rosehill with 59kg three weeks ago and will enjoy the same weight this week. Dunn believes that a step up to 1500 metres will be ideal, based on the way the gelding closed to win at 1300m in its last run.
While the bookmakers haven’t opened markets on the race, you can bet on Delightful Feeling being at the pointy end of the market.
Say You Love Me, which recently placed at Eagle Farm and was considered unlucky in the recent Rosehill Highway, will drop two kilograms and is likely to be ridden again by Tye Angland. Both of Dunn’s representatives are noted strong finishers.
“Generally the level needed from up here for Highway races is good class two or three Brisbane form and that’s held up fairly strong,” Dunn said.
“I’m concentrating on getting more horses to the Country Championships.”
Impressive recent Canterbury Highway winner Sunny Fame is spelling and will be set for the Country Championships at Royal Randwick next autumn and Delightful Feeling is likely to follow the same path.