Classic win for Horsham’s Dunn
Freaky was the operative word in Aaron Dunn’s post-race interview after Bondi Lockdown won a Victorian Harness Racing Club Caduceus Victoria Sires Classic on Saturday night.
Despite enduring a tough run after a failed attempt for the lead, Dunn’s charge prevailed in an epic battle between the three-year-olds at Bendigo’s Lord’s Raceway.
The Somebeachsomewhere colt, who drew wide on the back row, just held out a fast-finishing Better Eclipse, with Tuppence running third from a wall of rivals.
So competitive was the race, just five-and-a-half metres covered the first six horses across the line.
“His trackwork since his last win at Ballarat was really freaky, so that sort of gave me the confidence to have a crack for the front,” Dunn said.
Horsham’s Dunn, who owns, drives and trains the horse, is pushing full steam ahead to key races such as the Downbytheseaside Victoria Derby during October and Alabar Vicbred Super Series later in the year.
“I’ll probably just not race him as much from now until the Derby, but maybe keep him in. I’ll just have to have a think about it,” Dunn, who took Bondi Lockdown to Queensland during July, said.
“I think those few runs, it gets him at his best, so that’s where it might be better to keep him rolling without taxing him too much.
“But like I said, he does freaky things. He just runs freaky times then pulls up good.”
Bondi Lockdown is already a Group 1 winner, having taken out the VHRC Caduceus three-year-old classic in January, and builds on a career record that now stands at seven wins, seven minors and $131,220 from 19 starts.
Vanquish Stride
Since relocating from NSW to Charlton earlier this year, the Sanderson family has enjoyed plenty of success and continues to build it further.
Trainer Shane and his son-rider Ryan combined with the regally bred gelding Vanquish Stride to capture The Weekly Advertiser three-year-old pace at Horsham on Monday last week.
In a small field of just five runners,
Vanquish Stride enjoyed the run of the race behind the leader and $2.10 favourite Keayang Speak – Jason Lee – for the majority of the 2200-metre trip and made use of the sprint lane over the final stages to score by 1.7 metres in a rate of 2:02.1. Earlier in the day Ryan had saluted with Clarenden Envoy in the Woodlands Stud Pace for trainer Joey Thompson and well-known Adelaide owner-breeder Claire Goble.
Fast forward to Mildura on Thursday night and Ryan was successful with Hayden Bromac for Bendigo trainer Julie Douglas – his 38th winner of the season, which sees him third on the Victorian concession drivers premiership behind young guns Jack Laugher and James Herbertson.
Century season
Busy as ever, Ararat trainer-driver Michael Bellman edged closer to another century season when he led all the way with four-year-old bay mare Jazspur in the $7000 Speeding Spur Trot at Horsham on Monday afternoon last week.
Bellman took his tally to 96 with the very smart, Ted Caruana trained two-year-old colt District Attorney at Bendigo on Wednesday night and with a bit of luck, could crack the ton by the end of the week.