Dunn looks at southern base
THE ‘‘mountains’’ of cash on offer in NSW racing has prompted leading Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn to look further afield.
Dunn will still race horses in Queensland but he wants to ensure his stable is well placed to take advantage of the rising money on offer south of the border.
He will continue to have Murwillumbah as his major base but is looking at setting up a satellite stable closer to the NSW capital.
“We’ve been discussing the last few months about possibly trying to establish a secondary stable closer to Sydney,” he said.
“But it will still be a country venue (to remain eligible for Highway races). Maybe Goulburn or Scone.
“Some of our better horses that will target Sydney races, like last Saturday’s Rosehill winner The Fire Trap.
“The biggest hurdle we have is the travel. It’s 10 hours from our place to Sydney.”
Dunn, who is holidaying overseas, said he had started preliminary talks with clubs on the possible switch up.
Like most, Dunn continues to be amazed by the rapid growth of NSW prizemoney across all spectrums.
“They must be managing it so well, because they just keep finding more money for prizemoney,” he said.
Stable star Care To Think is the favourite for the inaugural $1.3 million Kosciuszko for country-trained horses at Randwick on October 13.
“I think we have five or six sprinters that would be looking to head that way,” he said.