Nine-year-old campaigner Sneak Preview to hunt surprise 2024 Big Dance victory

He’s one of the outsiders of the Big Dance field but Dubbo galloper Sneak Preview has done an amazing job just to be there at Royal Randwick.

Big Dance outsider Sneak Preview had one hoof out of the barn heading for retirement before connections decided to have one last crack with their resurgent nine-year-old that led to a date with Royal Randwick on Tuesday.

The son of Smart Missile has been a terrific money-spinner for connections but was giving signs his best form was behind him earlier this year.

After stints with Mark Newnham, Mack Griffith and Kody Nestor, Sneak Preview had been racing in Queensland with David Vandyke for two years before a decision was made to bring him back to Dubbo.

The road home wasn’t an easy one but Sneak Preview retained his zest for racing.

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“The poor old fella had a bad trip home, it took four days,” trainer Peter Nestor said.

“I don’t know where he went but he must have gone the long way around.

“My brother (Michael) owns a big percentage of him and we had a look at him to see if we could resurrect him and we will have a look at the Dubbo Cup.

“I thought his form wasn’t that flash so we just played with him and changed a couple of things around.

“He came back from David Vandyke so he come back to us in great order.”

The Dubbo Cup goes to Sneak Preview! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/46LU8QLpMS

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 29, 2024

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Sneak Preview gave Nestor every indication that he still had a good race in him so the experienced horseman elected to push on to the Dubbo Cup on September 29.

Sneak Preview was a $71 outsider but unleashed a powerful late burst to score with his former trainer Kody Nestor aboard to qualifier for the $3 million Big Dance (1600m).

“I would have been disappointed if he didn’t run a big race in the Dubbo Cup, he just improved in the eight or nine days leading into it,” Peter Nestor said.

“He was well in himself and his work.

“I said to Michael, tell everyone to go back this each way because I would be disappointed if he didn’t’ go close to top four.”

Sneak Preview put the finishing touches on his preparation for the Big Dance with a gutsy fourth under a massive weight in the Coonamble Crystal Sprint (1200m) on October 13.

“It was an enormous run with 67kgs,” Nestor said.

“It doesn’t matter what grade you run in, it’s hard to do that.

Sneak Preview is one of the outsiders of the Big Dance field. Picture: AAP Image-Simon Bullard

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“Out in the country there isn’t a lot of options and I was going to run him in the Cup but he would have got more weight than he did in the (Crystal Sprint).

“It was a big enough task as it was but he most probably should have won the Flying.”

Sneak Preview is a $101 outsider in the Big Dance with Mathew Cahill set to pilot the gelding.

Nestor is under no illusions about the task ahead of his veteran campaigner but is hopeful he can exceed market expectations.

“You hope for the best but expect the worse in a way,” Nestor said.

“You have a free ticket into the race so what do you have to lose, he’s paid his own way anyway.

“He is an old horse and has been in work a long time, since January or February, and he has done a bit of travelling.”

The Big Dance card also features the $250,000 Barn Dance (1300m) and $750,000 Little Dance (1600m).

Originally published as Nine-year-old campaigner Sneak Preview to hunt surprise 2024 Big Dance victory