Group 1 winning trainer Shaun Dwyer excited by stable star Anemacore

Group 1-winning trainer Shaun Dwyer has lifted the lid on his stable’s star runner Anemacore, admitting he wasn’t expecting much on debut but now hopes to turn him into an interstate contender.

Sunshine Coast racing trainer Shaun Dwyer and star runner Anemacore. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography,

Sunshine Coast trainer Shaun Dwyer has been around the block a few times but says his stable’s new leading runner Anemacore is an exciting prospect.

The son of Unusual Suspect has caught the eye of punters after three impressive performances, all coming at the Sunshine Coast.

“I didn’t realise he’d do what he did first-up,” Dwyer said.

“He’d been a bit of a vacant horse on the track and didn’t come out in his jumpouts or trackwork to say ‘I’m here’.

“He went better than I expected in the trial but I don’t think too many people, including myself, knew he’d be that strong in the final 200m on debut.”

2nd horse = black type https://t.co/H2Ah09SLFE

— Kiaarn Dickens (@Kiaarn) September 24, 2023

The four-year-old produced a luckless second on debut before going on to win his next two starts as the odds on favourite.

Dwyer admitted there had been major interest in the horse but was focused on his next run in town on December 16.

“The owners have had quite a few good offers for him, of course the right price may come along, but they’ve been very loyal to me and have worked hard all their life to get a horse with some promise,” he said.

“I honestly don’t know what the plan is at the moment because he’s still so raw and still not all there but because he’s going forward we’re hoping to have one more run in two weeks and see what happens.”

“All of the possibilities are going through my mind because obviously he’s different and I’d be lying if I didn’t have aims of running him in Sydney or Melbourne in the next few years.

“You probably know what I think, I probably know what you think and what everyone else is thinking which is the sky’s the limit but it’s just a matter of taking care of him now and not rushing him into the deep end.”

Group horse #Anemacore

— Nick Lloyd (@rockyform1) November 26, 2023

Anemacore is an exciting one #SunshineCoast

— ⚡️ 99 12 17 20 ⚡️ (@CJB_1188) November 26, 2023

Going places that one #anemacore

— Shane (@boostar83) November 10, 2023

Gee that Anemacore looks to have some ability. Still looks like he doesn’t quite know what it’s all about either

— Rhys West (@RhysWest10) November 26, 2023

He said he was extremely glad to see good friend Michael Rodd back in the saddle, the jockey who’s ridden Anemacore in his last two starts.

“Damien (Thornton) rode him on debut and got off him and said he’ll win a few races in town and I knew a few months prior that my little mate Roddy was coming back to race riding,” he said.

“It was definitely hard to have that chat with Damien but he took it really well and I decided to do what I felt was right.

“After Michael rode him to victory Damien came out after of the jockey's room having a laugh and said ‘we’ll once it gets down to 54kg I’ll be on it’ and he’s probably right too.”

Sunshine Coast racing trainer Shaun Dwyer with exciting runner Anemacore, Picture: Eddie Franklin

Dwyer, who began his career in Mackay, has worked and trained horses in Sydney, Toowoomba, Bendigo and now the Sunshine Coast and has worked alongside or for leading names such as Gai Waterhouse, John O’Shea and Bart Cummings.

The 65-year-old has held a trainers’ licence for more than 40 years and said he was glad his South East Queensland form was producing some good results.

“It took me a while to get a handle on what I think is the right way to train here but the results recently have been good, mainly because we’ve only got about six race horses,” he said.

Dwyer has 12 boxes across the road from Corbould Park but said he was open to expanding his current stable.