Dunn to try blinkers

Group 1 hunter experimenting before Randwick Guineas

Hunting for a breakthrough Group 1 triumph, Matt Dunn intends to experiment with blinkers on rising star Fukubana before his assault on next week’s Randwick Guineas.

Dunn has booked elite Sydney jockey Tommy Berry for Fukubana’s mission in the $1m Guineas (1600m) on March 9.

Dunn, based at Murwillumbah in northern NSW, has often been known as the “Highway King” in reference to his success in Highway Handicaps in Sydney.

But he craves winning his first Group 1 and believes three-year-old Fukubana has the talent to deliver him one.

The raw colt was far from disgraced when bouncing off a Brisbane win to head to Sydney and finish fourth behind Celestial Legend in last Saturday’s Group 2 Hobartville Stakes over 1400m at Rosehill.

Dunn believes the horse would have finished closer but for being a victim of circumstances when stuck in a slower lane towards the fence and he feels he also would have appreciated a quicker tempo.

A $26 chance in the Guineas on Saturday week, Dunn will mix things up in Fukubana’s work in the lead-up before deciding on a firm plan of attack in the elite race.

“I’m going to try blinkers on him at home, even though I’m not totally convinced he needs them,” Dunn said.

“He settled well in the race the other day, but I just hope that blinkers might help him get through his gears a bit faster.

“I just want to sharpen him up a bit, even when he won in Brisbane it took him a long time to get him to his top speed.

“And in Sydney he came off the bridle between the 600(m) and 400(m) and then he picked up and went again.

“I will try blinkers, but if he gives any indication he is going to be too keen, I won’t go down that path.”

James McDonald rode Fukubana in the Hobartville and the colt was well backed from his price in opening markets before finishing just behind the placegetters.

Dunn isn’t making any excuses but he thinks things could have turned out differently.

“Nothing really wanted to get near the fence later in the day and if we had got out to the middle of the track it was probably a fair bit better there,” Dunn said.

“He was also ridden closer the other day and he is better ridden a bit softer, but you can’t go back when they are going so slow up front.

“He’s got to improve a bit for the Guineas as he is going to meet the same horses as he met the other day and a couple who are probably a bit better.’’