The Henry Dwyer Racing stable has three runners today with BUDD FOX and RIDING HIGH running at Pakenham over the hurdles and COPPER FOX running at Terang.
Pakenham – All Weather Track
Race 1 (12.40pm) ECycle Solutions Maiden Hurdle
No.1 BUDD FOX – Steve Pateman (Barrier 5)
BUDD FOX heads to Pakenham where he will tackle the 3200 metre Maiden Hurdle. He has drawn gate five and Steve Pateman will ride.
BUDD FOX kicks-off his jumping career today in what looks like a very suitable race for him to hopefully break his maiden over the hurdles at his first attempt. His flat ability is certainly superior to anything in this race, it’s his jumping ability that is a work in progress but it was a lot better at Cranbourne recently in a trial and he is ready to go today, all the while he will keep improving. Steve Pateman knows hims well and has a good affinity with him which is a bonus and if he can jump cleanly today then he does look the winner. Of course until they are over the last jump it’s never a fait accompli.
Hopefully he can have a clean run and he should be too good for them today on his way to the Warrnambool Carnival.
TAB WIN Fixed Odds – $1.50 (as at 8am)
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Race 3 (2pm) ECycle Solutions MJ Bourke Hurdle
No.6 RIDING HIGH – Clayton Douglas (Barrier 5)
RIDING HIGH also heads to Pakenham where he will tackle the 3200 metre MJ Bourke Hurdle. He has drawn gate five and Clayton Douglas will ride.
RIDING HIGH won on this day over the jumps last year she he clearly likes the track and he starts his jumping campaign today for the season ahead. He is in great order and the race sets up well for him, he has a great turn of foot compared to his competitors and hopefully that should see him ultra-competitive today, if he can jump cleanly, which he should. He jumped faultlessly in his recent trial when Clayton Douglas rode him and he was very strong to the line, he often gains ground over the jumps which is a great strength for him.
This is quite a strong race, so if he can win this today he will stamp himself as one of the better hurdlers going around and all roads will lead to the Warrnambool Carnival.
TAB WIN Fixed Odds – $3.90 (as at 8am)
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Terang – Soft (5)
Race 8 (5.20pm) Callaghan Motors BM70 Handicap
No.8 COPPER FOX – Lucinda Boyd (Barrier 8)
COPPER FOX heads to Terang where he will tackle a 1400 metre Benchmark 70. He has drawn gate eight and Lucinda Boyd will ride.
COPPER FOX will go back from the barrier today, Terang can be a funny track where it can suit those in the lead or thereabouts or those running on very wide down the outside, so hopefully today it is the latter. He was a little bit disappointing last start at Sale over the same distance he runs today, after he ran really well first-up at Wangarrata, so we are hoping he can bounce back today and be much more competitive.
This is a competitive and wide open Benchmark 70 race today and while he will need some luck in running and track pattern to suit, he is expected to run well at each way odds.
TAB WIN Fixed Odds – $16 (as at 8am)