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By Ray Hickson

As much as trainer Luke Pepper likes the Big Dance concept he won’t be asking Hot Bandit to take on the $3 million race again if he makes it back-to-back wins in Sunday’s Narrandera Cup.

The five-year-old will rise 2.5kg, with apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag no longer having a country claim, on his win a year ago which earned him a place in the Big Dance where he ultimately ran 16th behind Gringotts.

While he hasn’t won since last year’s Cup, Pepper said his form still suggests he’s going to be a force as he looks to emulate the horse he beat in 2025, Prince Of Helena, and defend his crown.

“I think he’s probably going better than he was last year but it looks a stronger race so he has to,’’ Pepper said.

“I’m very happy with his prep so far, it’s been aimed at this race so hopefully we can pull it off.

“If he wins he wouldn’t be going to the Big Dance, he’ll be looking elsewhere.

Trainer Luke Pepper (Pic: Bradley Photos).

“It’s a great race for the right horse but we’re more focused on trying to win some more races with him.

“If he ran second that would put him into the Little Dance and that’d be a talking point but we have other little Cups that are more in our target this year.”

Hot Bandit, $9.50 with TAB on Saturday, has had a better build up this year, according to Pepper, to the $70,000 Bendigo Community Bank Narrandera Cup (1600m).

Last year he contested the Country Cup at the Scone carnival and ran fifth and then had two more lead up runs, this time he ran third in the same race at Scone before placing at Warwick Farm and Pepper said it was important he went to the mile last start.

He finished sixth of nine behind Concordia Wind in a Benchmark 72 two and a half weeks ago.

“He’s a horse that probably needs that mile run under his belt before heading to Narrandera,’’ he said.

“He’s not an easy horse to ride sometimes and he got pulling a bit midrace.

“It didn’t help his cause, he got up onto heels and lost ground but I thought he was good late. He was a little fresh leading into that run at Warwick Farm and I think it’s settled him down.”

Pepper has earmarked races like the Forbes Cup (1600m) on August 2, the Coffs Harbour Cup (1600m) five days later or the Goulburn Cup (1400m) on August 23 as realistic options.

“He ran extremely well in the Big Dance last year, he’s a very good country Cups horse around these sorts of cups but at that level it makes it extremely hard for him,’’ he said.

“Narrandera is a tricky track, a sand based track so it’s always got natural give in it and he’s a horse that loves that.

“He enjoys a good hard tempo and you usually get that around Narrandera and that’s why the mile suits him around that track.

“He’s the right horse to go back there and hopefully he can do it again.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday’s Narrandera meeting