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Dunn Relies On Rainbow's Talent To Overcome Guineas Hurdle

3 minute read

Trainer Matthew Dunn would love to find out what promising three-year-old Rainbow Connection can do if given the chance to settle handy in his races but after another wide draw he’s resigned to conceding a start once again at Hawkesbury on Saturday.

Trainer: MATTHEW DUNN.
Trainer: MATTHEW DUNN. Picture: Racing and Sports

Rainbow Connection will break from barrier eight in the 10 horse Group 3 $200,000 Blacktown Workers Club Group Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) having drawn seven of 10, 11 of 12 and 10 of 11 in his three appearances.

Matthew Dunn said plenty of work has gone into getting the gelding to settle in his races, so hasn't been too fussed about draws to this point, but that job is now done.

"If he can draw a gate he can box seat, he doesn't have to be dragged back in the field,'' Dunn said.

"It'd be nice to see what he can do resting midrace and see the turn of foot he shows. When he won his maiden he was really explosive and got past them and put a space on them really quickly.

"He's a really nice horse and we think he has a good future. We gave him a chance to mature before we pressed him and I think it's going to pay off because he's taken a few big jumps."

It's been a quick rise for Rainbow Connection from his debut win on the Kensington track to a slashing third in a Benchmark 72 then his last start third in the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick two weeks ago.

That run proved to Dunn the gelding is a talent. Punter's Intelligence sectional data showed he clocked the fastest last 600m of the race, 34.05, after coming from last and finding some traffic in the straight.

"He ended up in a bumping duel with the horse that ran second (Private Eye), for an inexperienced horse he did a pretty good job to pick himself up after that and go again,'' Dunn said.

"He won his maiden really well, stepped straight in against the older horses and the other day he was really good again up to another level.

"I know he has to step up to a new level each time he goes to the races but not many do what he's done."

There'll be no trips north for Rainbow Connection, $7 with TAB on Wednesday, with Dunn likely to send the horse to the $300,000 Inglis Guineas (1400m) at Rosehill on May 15.

What races he might target in the spring will depend on how he performs at Hawkesbury and Rosehill, and how he develops into his second preparation, but if he continues to take leaps he could find himself in a race like the $7.5m Golden Eagle (1500m) in October.

"He's an easy horse to have, he just eats his food and does his work,'' Dunn said.

"He's a proper horse that doesn't take too much training, he does it all himself.

"I don't know how far he needs to go, I think 1400m is far enough. I don't see any reason to stretch him much further because he's a big heavy horse and takes miles of work. I'll see how he changes shape when he has a break and figure it out next prep."

Dunn's barrier woes didn't end with Rainbow Connection, smart sprinter Snitz jumps from the outside in the Listed $140,000 Hawkesbury XXXX Gold Rush (1100m), Sagacious drew nine of 12 in the Living Turf Handicap (1800m) and Impasse 13 of 17 in the Happy 70th Evelyn Handicap (1300m).

Snitz clearly didn't come up in his two runs last preparation but Dunn said he's seen a very different horse this time around and with any luck is expecting a big first-up run.

"I don't know whether we went one run too many the prep before but he was disappointing last prep,'' he said.

"He's easy to read, you can see when he's going to turn up and race well because he's a good worker and he's really strong. When he's not in a good headspace he drops that, and that's what he was doing last prep.

"He galloped on Saturday at Warwick Farm and that was as good as I've seen him work."

Sagacious ran last in the South Pacific Classic second-up but Dunn said there were enough excuses for that run, and enough merit in his first-up effort, to say he can turn it around with a different ride.

To that end he said expect Sagacious to either lead or be outside the leader.

"His last run looked a bit plain but he ended up in a peculiar spot,'' he said.

"Last prep we figured out we need to be in front or around the leader and all of a sudden he was three back on the fence in a slowly run race and locked away.

"He will turn it around for sure, he's one of those horses that has a really big stride and you have to allow him to use it."


Racing and Sports

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