Country colt set for the Golden Gift

Matt Dunn is the first to admit that throwing an unraced country-trained youngster into a $1 million race at its first start is a little audacious.

But based on what he has seen from Climactic at home, combined with the feedback from his regular trackworker rider, Dunn is keen to give the colt an opportunity in Saturday’s Golden Gift (1100m) at Rosehill.

“He’s only had the one trial, that’s my only question mark. He is pretty inexperienced and it’s whether the lights of the big city are going to be a bit much for him on race day,” Dunn said.

“But as far as talent goes, he has certainly got that, and he’s a professional. Even though he is inexperienced, he does lots of things right so he will go a long way.

“Brodie Loy rides him every day and he’s a very good judge and he assured me he’d stand up and be counted in a race like this.”

Climactic arrived in Sydney last Saturday alongside Dunn’s two Melbourne Cup Day runners at Randwick – Emperor, who won the Highway Handicap and Cepheus who was runner-up in the Big Dance.

A son of first season sire Yes Yes Yes, Dunn paid $110,000 for Climactic at the Magic Millions March Yearling Sale and while it is impossible to get a line of comparison against the Golden Gift field, he says the juvenile is ticking all the right boxes.

“He wasn’t an expensive horse, but he’s got a pedigree to run early, he’s by Yes Yes Yes out of a Snitzel mare,” Dunn said.

“I like him and I like what he did Tuesday morning. He was pretty exciting the way he galloped with another horse for the first time in his life, in the dark, and he did it easy.

“I can’t line him up, he hasn’t been out in trials against any of these horses, but he’s got his fair share of talent.”

Adam Hyeronimus has the mount on Climactic, who has drawn barrier six in the field of 14 plus two emergencies.