3 minute read
Veteran marvel Dar Lunn, with an acute eye for a bargain and still riding trackwork at 61 years, will leave his incredible buy Classy Rebel for another day, but offers value with select runners at home for a capacity Dubbo TAB meeting on Tuesday.
Dar is from a renowned racing family of six brothers and two sisters who have either ridden, trained or are owner-breeders.
Four of the Lunns have runners on Tuesday and Dar is upbeat about the prospects of last start winners, Castlebar Road and Daredevil resuming in respective races.
Dar Lunn has Castlebar Road ($3.90 favourite on TAB) primed for the Maas Group Class 2, 1110m and former Kody Nestor-trained sprinter Daredevil ($3.90 fav) into the Adors Party Group Hire BM 66, 1010m, both to be ridden by regular Lunn ally Anthony Cavallo.
"They've both got decent chances on a real tough day, I had Castlebar Road set for Narromine, but it was washed out, he's where I want him," Dar said.
"If we get rain, he's a swimmer, won twice on heavy tracks here last prep but he handles any ground and has the speed to be on-pace.
"But its a big field and a few last start winners - open race."
Daredevil was transferred to Lunn when Kody Nestor took extended time out and is now in Taree riding trackwork.
"Anthony (Cavallo) trialled him after the last at Dubbo a couple of weeks back, said he went exceptional so he's forward enough and drawn - he led and bolted in at Orange last prep."
So, to Dar's amazing $3500 bargain buy Classy Rebel from Victorian great Eric Musgrove. Now a regional star, the 7yo flyer has won 10 races for Lunn and near $160,000 in prizemoney. Anyone know of a better buy anywhere?
"We've set him for a feature at Gilgandra on New Year's Day. We were in at Kembla on The Gong Day, but he injured himself in the float on the way to the track, we had to scratch.
"He had lacerations, lot of bark off his hind legs, nothing structural, but needed time to recover.
"And you're about the 'hundredth' person who has asked me why somebody with the record of Eric Musgrove would sell such a good horse on the cheap? He did win two for Eric early, then lost form.
"I rang Eric and everything he told me has been spot on, there were no issues with this horse. Eric said 1200m is his absolute limit although his sire Rebel Raider won Derby (Group One SA at 2500m).
"But if a trainer like Eric says he only just runs '1200' how is a bush trainer like me going to improve him? Ten race wins says Dar is underrating his horsemanship.
"I just think Eric concentrates on hurdlers and some stayers. We all know he's a champion trainer of hurdlers and steeple chasers, won the biggest everywhere.
"We know him well, my wife Jill bought two horses off Eric years ago they both won races. And 'Classy' has been some horse for us.
"Getting weighted out of country racing now but I think he's up to a mid-weeker in town with a lot less weight."
For the present Dar has two lives chances where he rarely misses. Dubbo is a soft 5 with the chance of rain and a thunderstorm.
