Racing: Dunn plan rules out a hand up

Triple G. Photo / Supplied

John Dunn admits he and Triple G probably can’t beat hot favourite Don’t Stop Dreaming in tonight’s $150,000 Sires’ Stakes Final, but he has a plan to try.

Don’t Stop Dreaming dominated many of tonight’s rivals in a heat of this series last Friday and moved into red-hot territory when rival Merlin was scratched from tonight’s 1980m race with a hoof abscess.

That leaves horses such as Sooner The Better (1), Sinbad (5) and Triple G (3) as the most likely dangers to the favourite, and Dunn says while it is tempting to try to lead then hand to Don’t Stop Dreaming with the aim of running second, that isn’t his instinct.

“I don’t know whether we can beat the favourite but I like to go forward and not hand up,” says Dunn.

“I don’t think I can beat Sooner The Better off the gate but I’d be keen to go forward and try and get the lead off Sooner The Better and if I was able to do that I’d stay there.

“That is how we like to drive, be aggressive and give ourselves a chance but whether we can even do that, I don’t know. But that is what I’d like to do.”

Triple G is one of the more untapped three-year-olds in the country and Dunn thinks he will continue to improve and develop into a NZ Derby horse later in the year.

But he did lead with Don’t Stop Dreaming on his back three starts ago and the latter easily blew past him in the straight.

So while Don’t Stop Dreaming will probably win, the early determination to get forward could decide the placings and exotics, with Sooner The Better’s driver Scott Phelan holding the early aces.

Sooner The Better has been consistent at the highest level and if he can hold the lead and then hand up not only can he run second but Triple G’s stablemate Charlie Brown could end up three back in the inside and be a top four chance.

The Dunn stable, which is leading the premiership, also has two chances in the $90,000 Country Cups Championship and Dunn says his drive Heisenberg is a good each-way chance.