Matt Dunn has made his mark on Brisbane racing this season but says the trainers’ premiership is out of his reach.
The Murwillumbah-based Dunn and another young gun, Tony Gollan, are involved in a three-way battle for the premiership which is the closest in 40 years.
With 31 wins apiece, they lead Robert Heathcote by 2-1/2 wins but the five-time champion trainer is about to unleash some of his big names in coming weeks.
“I really don’t think we can win the premiership. We just don’t have enough horses and the others start twice as many runners at meetings than us,” Dunn said after Beach Babe won at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
It was the mare’s third Brisbane win from her past four starts.
“Since we put blinkers on her she has gone ahead in leaps and bounds,” Dunn said.
“She has now won three races and should have won the other one.
“It makes me look a bit of a goose for not putting them on earlier.”
Gollan was in Melbourne on Saturday saddling up Oakleigh Plate runner-up Spirit of Boom and missed seeing his galloper Trakstar win the open staying race at Eagle Farm.
However, he isn’t getting carried away with premiership aspirations.
“There is a long way to go yet and the other two are very good trainers. I am just concentrating on getting my horses to fire,” Gollan said.
The Brisbane premiership is usually dominated by one trainer, or at best two, and this year’s race is the closest since Jim Atkins and Jim Griffiths tied for honours with Henry Davis a close third in 1973-74.
