Barry Lew is eyeing the Soldiers Saddle after Dazzle Me took out the Gilgandra Cup on Sunday.
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The Dubbo trainer took out the Gilgandra Charity Day's feature event at his home track as his exciting four-year-old gave the latest indication of his potential.
Mitch Turnbull, driving for Lew, didn't end up exactly where he and the trainer had planned, but Dazzle Me's sprinting strength shone late as he won the 2120m by 1.3m.
The win came in his second start this preparation and with the drought making work at home tough, Lew said there's still a lot more to come from Dazzle Me.
"He's taking a little more time to come up and he's not quite ready but he won quite well," Lew said, the gelding having had a four-month spell after three starts in Queensland midway through the year.
"He came home and had a good spell but with the drought we haven't been able to do as much work on the track and give him a good hit-out so we tried to race him into condition.
"His run at Blayney [first up] was very good."
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Dazzle Me ran sixth that day but delivered on Sunday when starting as a $1.85 favourite.
The cup attracted a handy field but Mitch Turnbull showed the class of Dazzle Me as he had to battle from the death seat for much of the trip.
Threes A Charm ($51) led for much of the journey as Bernie Hewitt chased a winning treble but the Tom Pay-driven Ziggy Rocks ($4.80) sat behind, with Dazzle Me on the outside.
Turnbull urged his way forward late on and after eyeballing Threes A Charm got to the lead as they rounded the bend for home.
He was good enough to win from Heza Bromac ($4.20) while Mister Magic Man ($10) was third.
"I actually wanted him to roll in front or get cover and then use his powerful sprint," Lew said.
"He got stuck but Mitch didn't panic. He just took the bull by the horns and slowed the speed up and then his sprint was pretty quick.
"He didn't sprint away like he can do because he's not quite ready but it was as good as I wanted."
Races at Menangle could be on the cards for Dazzle Me, who now possesses a record of six wins and three placings from 12 starts, but Lew isn't looking that far just yet.
More country features will come first, with Bathurst's iconic Soldiers Saddle top of the list.
The heats of the eventual series will be contested at Bathurst Paceway on December 4.
"He's a nice little horse and he'll keep improving," Lew added.
Hewitt missed out in the feature event but secured his treble in the last event of the day when driving Alta Equus to victory.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
