Trainer Matt Dunn was surprised when Lubrication upset the big guns to win the $1m The Archer slot race in Rockhampton

‘He’s racing better now than he ever has in his life’: surprised Dunn wins The Archer.

Jake Bayliss winning the $1m The Archer slot race in Rockhampton on the Matt Dunn-trained gelding Lubrication ahead of Comrade Rosa on Sunday. Picture: Matthew Harris / Caught in the Act Photography

Trainer Matt Dunn admitted even he was surprised when his “Class 3” gelding Lubrication upset the big guns to land the $565,000 winner’s cheque with a convincing victory in the $1 million The Archer slot race in Rockhampton on Sunday.

With jockey Jake Bayliss on board, Lubrication ($18) came from a fair way back to beat a batch of classy southern raiders, including Bjorn Baker’s star pair Sandpaper and Iowna Merc, to finish ahead of the Tony Gollan-trained Comrade Rosa ($11) and Transatlantic ($5) in the 1300m race.

“He’s racing better now than he ever has in his life,” Murwillumbah trainer Dunn said after the upset victory for slot holder Max Whitby, the ex-Sydney racing identity who now lives on the Gold Coast.

“It was a proper win. To be honest I’m a little bit surprised, in a happy way.

“It was very exciting, unexpected and one of those thrills that come up every now and then.”

The bookmakers clearly didn’t rate five-year-old Lubrication, which was paying up to $40 early last week, following his last-start third in a Class 3 1400m race at Eagle Farm on April 19.

“Even when he got beat the other day (at Eagle Farm), Max was at the races and he said ‘I want him for my slot’ and I said ‘sweet, no worries’,” Dunn said.

“He’s a Class 3 horse but I’m happy to go to a set weights plus penalties race, and take them on for that sort of money.”

Lubrication wins the Archer at double figure odds for @mattydunnracing with @jakebayliss94 in the saddle! 👏

Whitby Bloodstock nails it with their slot runner! 💰 pic.twitter.com/88G3c98dCe

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 4, 2025

Dunn was too busy preparing his horses for the Queensland Winter Carnival to be in Rockhampton but he joked his stable representative Wayne Wheatley would do the hard celebrating for him.

“I would’ve loved to have gone but I’ve just got too much on here. Not too many celebrations but I’m sure my man up there (Wheatley) will be celebrating hard,” Dunn said.

“The horse is coming home at 6.30am and he’s on an 8am flight so I hope they both make it.”

Three-time Group 1 winner Bayliss was held up at various stages throughout the race but when a split opened up, Lubrication surged to the line and never looked like losing it from there.

Both Dunn and Whitby are the major owners of Lubrication, who was bought for $400,000 at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Dunn had every intention of spelling Lubrication but he might be having second thoughts given the gelding is in “career-best form”.

A delighted Jake Bayliss after winning The Archer in Rockhampton on Sunday. Picture: Matthew Harris/Caught in the Act Photography.

“He’s got a few miles under his belt,” Dunn said.

“The idea was to give him a break but he’s racing so well and he looks so good.

“He beat some decent horses there and beat them fair and square.

“Who knows where he ends up? Maybe races like the Glasshouse Handicap (over 1400m on the Sunshine Coast on July 5).

“It depends what they do with him regarding his rating. It’s always difficult to stick horses in the paddock when they’re racing in career-best form.”

Meanwhile, Rob Heathcote has confirmed that 25-time Group 1 winning rider Tim Clark will partner Rothfire in the $1.5 million Doomben 10,000 (1200m) major on May 17.

The 2020 JJ Atkins winner Rothfire will push on to the Doomben 10,000 after an impressive fourth in Saturday’s Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm in his first race since late December when he finished fourth in The Buffering, won by Transatlantic.

Originally published as Trainer Matt Dunn was surprised when Lubrication upset the big guns to win the $1m The Archer slot race in Rockhampton