Matt Dunn chases another Sydney prize

Trainer Matt Dunn has entered 16 horses in the Grafton qualifying heat for the Country Championship.

Trainer Matt Dunn has switched plans for stable star Care To Think but is leaving no stone unturned as he chases another big prize in Sydney.

Care To Think ran second in the Liverpool City Cup at Randwick on Saturday and Dunn has switched his campaign from the Group One Doncaster Mile to the Stradbroke Handicap in Brisbane during the winter carnival.

“He does things wrong and he can’t win a Doncaster like that,” Dunn said.

“He will go home to Murwillumbah and have a few weeks off and get ready for the Stradbroke.

Dunn’s attention this week will turn to three-year-old Snitz who will head the stable’s team for the Country Championship qualifying heat at Grafton on Sunday.

Dunn has 16 of the 40 entries for the $150,000 1400m-race but makes no secret who he thinks is the No.1 pick.

The horses that run first and second will automatically qualify for the $500,000 final at Randwick on April 7.

Snitz was to have had his final hit-out before the heat in a three-year-old handicap at Doomben on February 24 but the meeting was washed out.

Instead Dunn took him to the Gold Coast trials last week where he won a 1000m heat 60.23 seconds.

The time was slow for the morning and two seconds slower than Golden Slipper hopeful Outback Barbie ran to win her heat.

But Dunn said Snitz had done what he wanted him to do and had a good hit out.

“I have a lot of time for this horse and he is a perfect runner for the Championships,” Dunn said.

“He is the the best of my runners in the heat.”

Snitz is the highest rated of the 40 nomination in the set weights race with a benchmark of 80.