Matthew Dunn has well and truly reclaimed his title as ‘King of the Highways’ following his stable’s prolific success in recent editions of the country-restricted metropolitan event.
Since Highways became a regular feature on Saturday metropolitan programs in 2015, Dunn enjoyed an unmatched strike rate, preparing 26 Highway winners before moving his team to Sydney in mid-2020.
While he had a Sydney stable, he couldn’t start runners in the race.
Still, after closing his Sydney operation in late 2022 and setting up his entire stable in Murwillumbah, he’s back dominating the popular race.
Since June, Dunn has been buoyed by a flurry of five winners, and he’s now up to 31 Highway victories, with The Kosciuszko-bound Derry Grove winning two, while the likes of Eaglemont, Holstein, and Al Ash Lad have all prevailed.
Al Ash Lad (Adam Hyeronimus) was the stable’s most recent triumph in the event, with the five-year-old proving very tough when taking out the 1500m Class Two Highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
“It’s great to be back, and great to see this horse win because the team that owns him have been long-term clients and good friends,” Dunn said after the win.
“They are actually on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, and I’m sure they’ll be enjoying it from there.”
Image – Bradley Photos.
It was a tough-as-guts win, with Hyeronimus going forward on Al Ash Lad from gate three, and despite getting through a bit of work in the early stages, he held on gamely for victory.
“It was good to see him do that, and he was tough, wasn’t he?” Dunn quipped.
“He did a bit of work to get there, but he toughed it out really well.
“That’s the way to ride him; he’s one of those horses that can chew a bit of juice early and still maintain that right through.
“He is certainly a tough customer, and he’s only a wiry little guy, but he does the job for us.”
Al Ash Lad’s victory shines the light on Dunn’s Highway conquests, but that prolonged success didn’t arrive overnight, with the Murwillumbah trainer establishing a tried-and-tested recipe.
“We sort of figured out a long time ago before we moved the stables to Sydney the way to do it,” Dunn said.
“They all go through the same system; they travel down Wednesday evening and arrive early Thursday and get a little bit of light trackwork.
“It’s not rocket science, and there’s nothing too complicated about it, but it works well and the horses do well to do it too.
“It’s a ten-hour float trip from our place, so they travel further than anything else in the race, and they seem to cope well.”
With Brisbane only two hours north of his base, Dunn also uses Queensland metropolitan meetings to establish which of his many gallopers will be up to competing in Highway Handicaps.
“We are probably luckier than most because we’ve got such a big team,” Dunn said.
“We have got 83 in work, and that is a substantially larger size stable than most country stables, so we’ve got a few to pick and choose from, and we’ve got the added bonus that we can use Brisbane as a bit of a measuring stick to see where they are at against some better horses, and that’s how we sort through them.”
There’s no Highway on Saturday, but the regular Saturday feature returns at Rosehill Gardens on October 7. Dunn is expected to have Al Ash Lad contesting the 1500m Class Three Handicap.
