By Ray Hickson
Trainer Dar Lunn doesn’t claim to be doing anything special to rejuvenate six-year-old gelding Green Run but he’s pleased for the owners that he’s been able to give them a few thrills.
Dar Lunn with Elson Boy (Pic: Grant Guy).
The Dubbo trainer took on Green Run three months ago, charged with the task of doing what he can to get the best out of the horse who had been off the scene for a year.
Lunn not only managed go get him back into the winner’s stall he’ll head to the Yes Yes Yes @ Gooree Handicap (1400m) at Mudgee on Sunday in arguably career best form.
“A mate of mine, Kelly Smith, had him at Collarenebri and he rang me up and asked me to take him so I did go back through his old form when Peter Sinclair had him,’’ Lunn said.
“I looked at his form and said ‘gee mate I’m no miracle worker’.
“But he sent him up in real fine fettle, he looked magnificent when he came to me, and he’d given him two runs over an unsuitable distance because he’d been out a long time.”
Green Run is owned by a number of people who live in the Walgett area so he travelled there to have his first run for Lunn at the Cup meeting in mid-June.
It led to a big run at Cowra before the gelding won his first race in almost two years at the Carinda non-TAB meeting on July 12. It must have sparked something because since then he’s notched three placings at Wellington, Dubbo and Scone.
“I hadn’t had him long and I said to the owners not to expect too much of him at Walgett and they were tickled pink when he beat a couple home,’’ Lunn said.
“When he came back he started to improve. Ran fourth at Cowra then won at Carinda in a BM50.
“Then I threw him in the deep end a bit and put him in a 66 at Wellington and he ran second, after that he’s got a little better each time. He’s just turned the corner.”
How Green Run performs at Mudgee will help Lunn and connections decide what to do next.
He said if the horse performs as he did last start, where he dashed for home at the 200m before being claimed on the line by Sebilla over a mile at Scone, he’ll have some thinking to do.
“I thought he was home at Scone. He’s not the most brilliant horse I’ve had but he’s progressing, every run he’s had for me he’s gone a bit better,’’ he said.
“What I had in mind was to go to Mudgee for the 1400m then there’s a 1750m Benchmark 58 at Muswellbrook eight days later but some of the owners might want him to come to Collarenebri for their Cup meeting.
“If he happens to win or runs a nice race at Mudgee we’ll sort that out.”
Meanwhile, Lunn is hoping his multiple city winner Elson Boy gets a second shot at The Kosciuszko next month but he realises he may have to wait to be selected.
Elson Boy hasn’t raced since he won at Rosehill over 1400m a month ago as he picked up a virus when he returned to Dubbo.
The wet track specialist ran ninth in last year’s Kosciuszko, run on a soft 5, and Lunn said he has an open mind about how he'll get to the race if he's given the chance.
Green Run finishes third at Dubbo on August 10
"I still think I’d be a live chance but if it happens to rain the day The Kosciuszko is on he handles heavy tracks. It brings some of them back to you,'' he said.
"I’ll see what happens but I might give him a run before, if I don’t I’d tick him over with a couple of trials."
All the fields, form and replays for Sunday’s Mudgee meeting