Honour The Crown wins opening event at Dubbo Turf Club's Gold Cup meeting

The Joseph Burgess-trained Honour The Crown scored an eye-catching first career win while hot $2.50 hometown favourite Star Of Kings had to settle for third for Dubbo's Clint Lundholm.

Given the death of Queen Elizabeth II in the early hours of Friday morning (AEST) and the ascension of King Charles III, both of Burgess and Lundholm's hopes were omen bets on Sunday.

It was Burgess' charge who got the job done though, moving past Star Of Kings at the top of the straight and powering to victory in the $40,000 Country Only Showcase Maiden Plate (1000m) under the riding of Mikayla Weir.

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Weir only got the ride on Honour The Crown on Sunday morning after Aaron Bullock was unable to make the trip to Dubbo.

"He took a long time to get to the races," Burgess said of his gelding to Sky Racing after the win.

"He's an unassuming horse. He's a dopey bugger around the stables and trackwork but when you work him with a good horse he seems to cruising along beside it."

In the first two starts of his career for Taree-based Burgess, the six-year-old Hallowed Crown gelding had finished second.

Former Dubbo jockey and trainer Kody Nestor rode on both occasions and given Burgess described him as "dopey bugger" there was concerns about Honour The Crown's behaviour in the barriers and ability to start well.

There was no such issue on Sunday and Burgess credited Weir for getting Honour The Crown ($4.40) to produce a "quite professional" performance and score a first victory.

The trainer is hopeful of bigger and better things ahead given Honour The Crown has shown plenty of potential despite some immaturity.

In Sunday's race, it had appeared the Lundholm-trained Star Of Kings ($2.60 favourite) was the one to beat when it took the lead as the field rounded the bend from home.

But Honour The Crown was able to find another gear and kick to the lead while the Connie Greig-trained Yorker ($9) led early and then showed plenty of fight to get back in front of Star Of Kings and finish second, almost one-and-a-half lengths off the winner.

Lundholm didn't have to wait too long for his spirits to be raised, however, as $14 outsider Nest In The Hills scored an upset win in the day's second event.

Having not placed in two starts previously, Nest In The Hills was ridden to a good victory by Rory Hutchings in the XXXX Gold Showcase Maiden Handicap (1400m).

Sunday's meeting will be headlined by the $100,000 Dubbo Gold Cup (1600m) at 4.51pm.

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