Anzac Cup win a night to remember

It was nowhere near the richest race Robert Dunn has trained the winner of but last night’s Anzac Cup was one of the most satisfying.

Because it gave Dunn what he believes is his first group one trotting success and Sundees Son did it in a style that suggests it won’t be his last.

The 4-year-old came from the outside of the second line to thrash New Zealand’s best open class trotters with a sustained burst of speed three wide from the 800m suggesting his brain has finally caught up to his motor.

Already the winner of pacing’s New Zealand and Auckland Cups as a trainer, Dunn said last night was special.

“I don’t think I have ever trained a group one trotting winner and if I did it must have been in an age group race,” he offered.

“But to win like that with a 4-year-old in a major open class race, it was quite amazing. And as everybody knows he is a horse who has tried our patience at times.”

Sundees Son showed by galloping after the line he is anything but the finished product but his raw ability suggests he leads the new wave of trotting talent set to take over from the old boys, with another of those Majestic Man unlucky in third.

The Cup was the race of the night and by comparison the $100,000 Taylor Mile was relatively tame, with trainer Mark Purdon’s pre-race prediction that Spankem would lead and probably win spot on.

The Miracle Mile winner was never challenged in front and his stablemate Turn It Up couldn’t have been braver in second but Spankem is now unbeaten in six starts when leading this season.

Both horses will return for the Messenger next Friday but Spankem is unlikely to head to the Jewels on June 1, whereas Turn It Up probably will.

Earlier in the night Amazing Dream set a 2200m national record for a freshman filly winning the Caduceus Classic while Tony Herlihy produced a brilliant training performance to win the Sires’ Stakes Trot with Tickle Me Pink in her first start in nine months.