Dunn hopes patience pays with Red Bowers

Trainer Matt Dunn hopes his patience in keeping Red Bowers away from city racing will be repaid at Doomben on Saturday.

The gelding will get a chance to improve on his ordinary Doomben record when he steps out in Saturday’s Open Handicap (1200m).

Red Bowers has not run in Brisbane since finishing sixth at Eagle Farm in August last year.

He has been racing well in the NSW Northern Rivers region and won over 1000 metres at his home track Murwilllumbah two starts ago before finishing sixth in the Ballina Newmarket on September 7.

Red Bowers has won nine races but is yet to break his Brisbane duck which has disappointed Dunn.

“After his first trial win as a two-year-old we had a very big wrap on him. In fact we knocked back a good offer for him,” Dunn said.

“He has run some good races in Brisbane but he just hasn’t been able to win there. A couple of his good runs have been at Doomben but things haven’t gone right.”

Dunn decided to try different tactics and run Red Bowers close to home in an effort to build his confidence.

“If only I could transfer his Murwillumbah form to Doomben. He is unbeaten at Murwillumbah and won two Newmarkets there,” Dunn said.

“It is probably a case of it being his home track. But he was solid last start at Ballina with 61kg and he drops seven kilos here.”

“We have waited a while to get him back to Saturday city racing so let us hope it is all worthwhile.”

Dunn has four runners at Doomben and four scheduled to run at Randwick including three in the Highway Handicap for country-trained horses.

Dunn has won 12 Highway races and is the leading trainer since the series was introduced two years ago.