Dunbar Expected To Start With A Bang
All eyes will be on exciting youngster Dunbar when he makes his debut in the TABtouch-Better Your Club Maiden (1200m) at Pinjarra tomorrow.
Dunbar is the first runner by first season sire Vancouver for owner-breeders Bob and Sandra Peters.
The gelding produced an impressive 1000m trial at Belmont on May 11 and has already been supported into $1.55 favouritism with TABtouch.
Bob Peters said his interest sparked in Dunbar when he watched his breeze up online.
“I got a catalogue sent to me on a ready to run sale and I just happened to be looking through it and saw he was by Vancouver,” Peters told TABradio.
“He was entered by some good friends of mine in New South Wales.
“I watched his action and I saw that he was a nice horse.
“We’ve got quite a few nice Vancouver’s here ourselves, so we finished up buying him.”
William Pike takes the ride on the Grant and Alana Williams-trained gelding from barrier three in a nine horse field.
Peters said he got what he hoped for from the trial but issued a slight word of caution on the warm favourite in tomorrow’s opening event.
“Based on his breeze ups, we obviously knew he could gallop,” he said.
“I would’ve preferred it be 1000m first-up but we will see what he’s like.
“I’ll only give him one run, maybe two, then he can go out and come back and he’ll be fairly experienced when he’s a three-year-old.”
Peters, who is part of the ownership of Vancouver, said he has been impressed by all of his youngsters by the 2015 Golden Slipper winner.
“The ones we’ve got are very nice horses and they’re breaking in well,” he said.
“Our pre-trainers and breakers the only ones they mention to me are the Vancouver’s.”
Meanwhile, Perth Cup winner Mississippi Delta and Arcadia Prince will join Perfect Jewel for the Peters’ in Saturday week’s Group 3 Belmont Sprint (1400m).
Mississippi Delta, pictured above, finished just over a length behind Friar Fox in a 1450m trial at Lark Hill yesterday, her second trial since her Perth Cup triumph.
Peters said he was pleased by Perfect Jewel’s return to racing when 10th to Vega Magic in Saturday’s Roma Cup.
“1200m is a little bit short for her,” he said.
“It was a good sign that she ran well and she probably needed to be in that race so she’s ready for the next one.”
Peters also gave a glowing endorsement on Group 1 winner Arcadia Queen, who he described as looking “very well” as hopes continue to rise for a spring return to racing.
Tim Walker
Image – Western Racepix
https://soundcloud.com/tabradio/may-19-bob-peters#t=0:00