Telopea Downs trainer Darryl Dodson is no stranger to
travelling great distances, in fact, by the end of this week Darryl and his horses will
have clocked up some 2,000 plus kilometres.
On Friday Darryl and last start Victoria Park winner Dinky
Barry take to the road again, journeying to the South East for a crack at the Mount
Gambier Gold Cup. It’s a 720 kilometre round trip from his Bindarra Park stables to
the Glenburnie racecourse yet it is the 2400 metres of the Gold Cup that hold more qualms
for Dodson.
Despite Dinky Barry’s gritty 1800 metre win at The
Park Dodson doesn’t consider the gelding to be a genuine stayer and in fact
regards the horse as a "real risk" over the mile and a half trip.
"He’s (Dinky Barry) never raced beyond 2000
metres and that last win was a grinding sort of run and about as far as he’d
want," Dodson reckoned.
Dodson did add, however, that the horse was fit and though
it may have been a grinding effort he still managed to stave off all challengers in the
straight. The Runyon gelding goes into the Gold Cup on a six day back up, a circumstance
that Dodson considers neither ideal nor impossible. He is less impressed with his barrier
draw of seventeen.
On the plus side Dodson has engaged apprentice Michelle
Hagley for Dinky Barry. Hagley is running hot, riding a treble on the first day of the
three-day Mt. Gambier carnival (Big Amy, Sedonic & Querida Gem).
A plain brown horse sporting a woolly winter coat and
possessed of a short, choppy action Dinky Barry’s appearance belies his breeding. By
the Group One VATC Underwood Stakes winner Runyon, a son of breeding phenomenon
Sadler’s Wells, Dinky Barry hails from the family of six time Group One winner (Mr.)
McGinty (NZ).
(Mr.) McGinty is a full brother to Arios, the second dam of
Dinky Barry. In a marvellous career (Mr.) McGinty numbered the VATC Caulfield Stakes, STC
Rawson Stakes, STC Canterbury Guineas, WRC George Adams Handicap, Air New Zealand Stakes
(twice) amongst his wins. (Mr.) McGinty has been a successful stallion siring the Group
One winners The Hind, The Gentry, Jolly Old Mac and Miltak.
PIC - Jenny
Barnes. |
