Group 1 hunter Matt Dunn experimenting before Randwick Guineas

Matt Dunn craves a first Group 1 win and believes Randwick Guineas-bound three-year-old colt Fukubana could be the one to do it for him.

Fukubana. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography.

Hunting for a breakthrough Group 1 triumph, Matt Dunn intends to experiment with blinkers on rising star Fukubana before his assault on next week’s Randwick Guineas.

And Dunn has booked elite Sydney jockey Tommy Berry for Fukubana’s mission in the $1m Guineas (1600m) on March 9.

Dunn, based at Murwillumbah in northern NSW, has often been known as the ‘Highway King” in reference to his outstanding success in Highway Handicaps in Sydney.

Be he craves winning his first Group 1 and believes three-year-old colt Fukubana has the talent to deliver him one.

The raw three-year-old colt was far from disgraced when bouncing off a Brisbane win to head to Sydney and finish fourth behind Celestial Legend in last Saturday’s Group 2 Hobartville Stakes over 1400m at Rosehill.

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Dunn believes his colt would have finished closer but for being a victim of circumstances when stuck in a slower lane towards the fence and he feels he also would have appreciated a quicker tempo.

Celestial Legend storms home to win the G2 Precise Air Hobartville Stakes ridden by @KPMcEvoy at #RosehillGardens.

What a victory for Les Bridge who won the race 40 years ago with Sir Dapper. @BonHo93524033pic.twitter.com/D07EBA0eIa

— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) February 24, 2024

A $26 chance in the Guineas on Saturday week, Dunn will mix things up in Fukubana’s work in the lead-up before deciding on a firm plan of attack in the elite race.

“I’m going to try blinkers on him at home, even though I’m not totally convinced he needs them,” Dunn said.

“He settled well in the race the other day, but I maybe just hope that blinkers might help him get through his gears a bit faster.

“I just want to sharpen him up a bit, even when he won in Brisbane it took him a long time to get him to his top speed. And in Sydney he came off the bridle between the 600(m) and 400(m) and then he picked up and went again.

“I will try blinkers, but if he gives any indication he is going to be too keen, I won’t go down that path.”

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Fukubana is bound for the Group 1 Randwick Guineas. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography.

James McDonald rode Fukubana in the Hobartville and the colt was well backed from his price in opening markets before finishing just behind the placegetters.

Dunn isn’t making an excuses but he thinks things could have turned out differently.

“Nothing really wanted to get near the fence later in the day and if we had got out to the middle of the track it was probably a fair bit better there,” Dunn said.

“He was also ridden closer the other day and he is better ridden a bit softer, but you can’t go back when they are going so slow up front.

“He’s got to improve a bit for the Guineas as he is going to meet the same horses as he met the other day and a couple who are probably a bit better than them.

“I’d like to see him in a race with really good tempo and he hasn’t had that yet.

“Hopefully he gets a better speed and then he is not so dependent on trying to get through his gears quickly, the other horses will come back to him a bit.”

Trainer Matt Dunn.

Meanwhile, Dunn says Texas Fireball is one to watch in Brisbane on Saturday from his in-form stable.

Texas Fireball will contest the QTIS 3YO Handicap (1835m) at Eagle Farm after finishing runner-up behind Sharp Dazzler over 1600m last start.

“He’s improving all the time, he’s still trying to figure things out,” Dunn said of Texas Fireball.

“He put himself there to win last time and got the wobbles up and when the winner came, he couldn’t really see where it was. The further he goes, the better he will get.”

Originally published as Group 1 hunter Matt Dunn experimenting before Randwick Guineas