Locally owned and independent
October 26, 2023
The Northern Rivers Times
NEWS 11
Big Dance preparation on track By Tim Howard Murwillumbah galloper Cepheus preparations continued for the November 7 Big Dance despite his scratching at Randwick on Saturday. Trainer Matt Dunn had entered the six-year-old in race three, the Filante Hcp (1600m), but a bump in the stalls during
the week convinced a super cautious Dunn to pull him from the race. Connections said scans after the accident revealed just superficial injuries and he will trial tomorrow ahed of the big race on Melbourne Cup day. At his last start on October 7 there was deja vu for connections. A brilliant Nash
Rawiller ride in the $1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes at Rosehill got his charge home by a half head from a fastfinishing Cotohele. It was almost an identical result to the final of the South Grafton Cup in July, which gained the Matt Dunn-trained gelding entry to the $3 million Big Dance..
After the race Dunn had nothing but praise for his talented galloper, who has overcome a career-threatening tendon injury a couple of seasons ago to get back to the races and his best. “He’s had his problems along the way, we patched him up and got him to where he is and it’s just so good,” Dunn
said. “He’s a beauty. He tries his little heart out and he does his best every time he goes to the races. “We’re looking forward to the Big Dance and that has been his goal right through. “The fact he’s been able to pick these couple of races up along the way for huge amounts
of prizemoney, it’s fantastic for me and the owners.” He said Cepheus thrived on racing a run in the Filante would have set him nicely. Instead he will run in a trial tomorrow. “He needs racing and I don’t really want to go four weeks in between with him,” Dunn said.
Cepheus wins the South Grafton Cup in July, beating Cotohele by a head and earning a spot in the Big Dance on Melbourne Cup Day. He repeated the dose for Cotohele in his last start at Rosehill earlier this month.
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