IPSW OCT 19 - THE WHITE HOPE TAKES A STROLL IN THE PARK; TOYS WITH THE OPPOSITION

By Graham Potter | Friday, October 19, 2012

Ipswich, October 19, 2012.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Class 1 Handicap - 1200m.
1 The White Hope; 2 The Zedhorse; 3 Rhythm Nation; 4 Fitting Finale.
Time: 1-09.82. Last 600: 34.28
Margins: 3.30; 0.50

Patience is a strong virtue in racing and that attribute could be about to pay off handsomely for the connections of The White Hope who landed his second career win at Ipswich.

The handsome grey, a four-year-old, has only had three career starts to date. After a forgettable debut he wasted no more time and he put together a professional performance in his second outing which carried him to a resounding 4.50 length victory.

With that confidence-builder under his belt, The White Hope then went to the paddock for a full six months before trainer Matthew Dunn chose this Ipswich Class 1 event for his return.

In what basically translated into little more than a ‘paid’ working, gallop The White Hope simply toyed with his opposition to win untested, every bit as easily as the 3.30 winning margin suggests. In spite of racing well within himself, The White Hope also managed to stop the clock in the more-than-useful time of 1-09.82.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Matthew Dunn: “Besides that one hiccup in his first start he has done the job and shown plenty of promise.

“The way he won today … to run that time when being eased down, it’s pretty exciting.

“He is a nice horse and he always has been. From the day he walked into my stables he was a lovely, big strong horse. We’ve always had admiration for him and hopefully he will go right on with it.

“This horse’s sire Bradbury’s Luck … there is none better at the moment. They are winning all over the world on wet tracks, dry tracks … wherever you want to take them.

“We won’t rush things though. We just take baby steps and see where they lead.

“Distance-wise … he might be too fast to run a mile. We’ll see how he develops as he gets fitter. This is only his second prep and he only had a couple of starts in his first preparation.

“While he is running those sort of times over 1200 we’ll probably keep him at that. There is no need to stretch him out.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Saddleback (R. McMahon) was tightened for room shortly after the start between The Zedhorse (R. Goltz) and Fine Gold (M. Palmer), which shifted out.

Fitting Finale (B. Abbey) raced three wide for the majority of the race.

Find out more about the winning trainer
Matt Dunn

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