Punters have to take much shorter price on Fukubana in Hobartville Stakes with James McDonald riding

A Hobartville Stakes contender who was paying as much as $51 earlier in the week is now a $9 chance after the booking of James McDonald.

Punters who want to back rising star Fukubana to win Saturday’s Hobartville Stakes are now paying the J-Mac tax, but they can take heart in Matt Dunn’s glowing assessment of his classy three-year-old colt.

As much as $51 was bet on Fukubana to win the Group 2 Hobartville, then $26 on Monday and now $9 post acceptances and with champion jockey James McDonald booked to ride.

Horses that McDonald rides are generally spotlighted by a big band of punters who are keen to back virtually anything he hitches his wagon to.

• The Melbourne Cup Carnival TV deal does nothing to help racing

Fukubana has raced in Brisbane this campaign but will face much stiffer competition in the Hobartville (1400m) at Rosehill, including Godolphin’s Group 1 winner Tom Kitten ($3.20 favourite).

But Dunn is convinced Fukubana is the real deal.

He was beaten by a slow tempo at Doomben two starts ago before scoring on the same track in another race with a slow tempo last start.

James McDonald will ride Fukubana in the Hobartville Stakes on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

Dunn said Fukubana has the potential to be the best horse in his stable and will appreciate facing a bigger field on Saturday and in a race with a genuine tempo.

• Healing guru gives Cups hero thumbs up for spring comeback

“I don’t normally talk my horses up, but I think he’s a proper horse, I really do,” Dunn said.

“The other day in Brisbane I thought he would space them, but it took him a long time to hit his top speed.

“That’s what scared me about keeping him in Brisbane, he is always going to be vulnerable in small fields and slow-run races with no pressure.

“At least down there in Sydney he is going to get a genuine run race against high quality opposition and we can test him.

“I can’t hide him forever.

“I think he will measure up in this race on Saturday.”

Fukubana, a $250,000 son of Dundeel, has impressed Dunn from day dot.

At just his second start as a two-year-old, Dunn thought enough of him to send him to Sydney for a $150,000 race and he almost won despite not really knowing what racing was all about.

Not that Dunn needed more confidence in his colt, but the fact that McDonald was delighted to ride him speaks volumes.

Fukubana is now a $9 chance in the Hobartville Stakes after paying as much as $51 earlier in the week. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

“Brodie Loy galloped this horse on Tuesday and said that’s the best he has gone, the colt just relaxed and came up underneath Brodie through his work like a proper, complete horse,” Dunn said.

“At times this colt has been a bit unsure of himself and not really knowing what to do.

“He is more of a complete package now.

“He is going the right way.”

• OPINION: Outside the Everest, what is racing doing to attract Generation Next?

Dunn has nominated Fukubana, who will be strong late on Saturday, for bumper Group 1 three-year-old races like the Rosehill and Randwick Guineas in Sydney this autumn.

How he races on Saturday will determine whether Fukubana will stay in Sydney and shoot for the stars.

“We will give him a test and if he steps up we will stay in Sydney with him, if he doesn’t he is just not ready yet,” Dunn said.

“He will be ready eventually, if he’s not ready now he will be in the winter.

“He’s still a colt, so who knows what he can achieve if he is as good as I think he could be.”

Murwillumbah trainer Dunn is enjoying his best racing season and it could be a big day at Rosehill for him.

He has Derry Grove and Belvedere Boys in other races, to be partnered by Nash Rawiller.

Both could have won last start had they raced with a touch more luck.