MATTHEW DUNN CLOSES HIS SYDNEY STABLE

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Trainer Matthew Dunn has closed the Sydney branch of his stable. All of his runners that were stabled there have now returned to the trainer’s Murwillumbah base in Northern New South Wales.

“It was working very well for us when we were over at Warwick Farm. We had fifty in work there ... but the change to Rosehill only allowed us to have twenty-eight in work,” explained Keira Dunn.

“We sort of needed the same team, and we kept most of the same team on, but halved the income type of thing, so, financially, it became a viability issue.

“It was rewarding getting stables at Rosehill, but you are racing the top of the top ... the best of the best ... and it is just so hard.

“We originally made the move to Sydney just when Covid hit. At the time they gave us five days to decide whether we were going to be a classified purely as a country trainer (targeting Sydney racing from their Murwillumbah stables) or whether we were we were going to set up permanent stables in Sydney.

“At that time, we had around ten horses down in Sydney already ... some had been down for the highway races, and some were staying down anyway. We had a bit of success down there, so we decided to give the Sydney stable a go ... but, by doing that, we lost the right to be able to run our horses in the highways, where we had been doing very well ... and that was a big loss.

“We’ll get that option back now, which is a big plus, and really, at the end of the day, we’ve got one of the best facilities here at Murwillumbah ... swimming pools, treadmills ... nearly your own private track ... and it is a holiday destination in this area which allows a great lifestyle.

“Those horses coming back were not a problem. When we moved the better horses to Sydney, we didn’t increase our numbers ... so we never really got bigger, we were just trying to get to that next level by going to Sydney.

“We’ve got eighty-one stables at Murwillumbah. When we bought the place ... maybe fifteen years ago ... there were only five stables there, so, we have put a lot of work into it.

“We’ve won Magic Millions races from here. We’ve won Stakes races from here. We’ve won Group races ... all from here, so we are more than happy training out of Murwillumbah.

“In terms of travelling the horses with the change of circumstances, with our experience we have really got it down pat now on what you need to do ... and on how many times you can travel horses down. There is a really fine line and we have made a few mistakes along the way, but we have learnt from those, and we feel we have got that covered now.

“We are very comfortable with the change. The only thing is I really do feel for is our team in Sydney. We did have a lot of good staff there and they helped run the stable so well the whole time ... as those also do who help us at Murwillumbah.

“We’ve always been fortunate with our staff.

“It is a team effort. If you don’t work as a team, you don’t have success.

“That applies wherever you are based ... so, that’s what we will keep on doing.

"Our focus on what we do and what we aim to achieve ... nothing has changed there."