Mendooran’s John Hunter may well be a part of another horse which could make an impact at the Melbourne spring racing carnival.
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Hunter was in attendance on Wednesday to see Big Duke, a horse he owns shares in, take out the $200,000 Group 3 Launceston Cup.
The win came less than three weeks after Big Duke had finished as runner-up in another $200,000 Group 3 event in Tasmania, the Hobart Cup.
The Mendooran man has previously enjoyed the biggest success possible in racing when Protectionist, another horse he part-owned, took out the 2014 Melbourne Cup.
“He’s only been lightly raced so we’re not sure how far he can go,” winning trainer Darren Weir said of Big Duke after the win.
“But we’ll more than likely have a crack at the Sydney Cup next and later on I reckon he’s a spring carnival horse.
“This trip away will do him good. There’s nothing like it (to improve a horse).”
The five-year-old gelding, ridden to victory by apprentice Ben Allen, has now scored four wins in 10 starts, with prizemoney earnings exceeding $250,000.
I reckon he's a spring carnival horse.
- Darren Weir, trainer
Weir was to have had two runners in Tuesday’s Cup but the heavily-backed Unfurl was a late scratching on vet’s advice when found to have foot soreness.
