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By Gary Harley

Victorian jockey Dwayne Dunn will travel to Newcastle on Sunday to reunite with the highly promising colt Outrageous in the 1300 metre 2YO Maiden Handicap.

Outrageous (Brenton Avdulla, yellow cap) just fails to claim Sizzling Belle (Kathy O'Hara) at Rosehill Gardens. Image by Bradley Photographers

The Hawkes family-trained Outrageous was a ‘good thing’ beaten in a classy Rosehill two-year-old race in his second race start on January 27.

Following that event, the colt firmed to $26 with TAB.com.au for the world's richest 2YO race, the 2018 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper to be run at Rosehill Gardens on March 24.

Dunn did not ride Outrageous in his last start but he was aboard when the colt was beaten four lengths on debut in the Randwick Breeders' Plate in September.

Dunn, stable rider for the Hawkes stables in Victoria, has five rides at Caulfield on Saturday before he boards a plane from Melbourne.

Michael Hawkes, co-trainer with his father John and brother Wayne, was bullish concerning Outrageous’ prospects on Sunday when contacted: “This colt has a very bright future and he definitely should have won at Rosehill first-up. He’s only had two starts and he needs experience, so the trip to Newcastle will do him good."

Outrageous stormed home at the end of the 1100 metres and Hawkes said he is looking for more ground: "The 1300 metre trip on the spacious Newcastle course proper is ideal. Dwayne Dunn is part of our team and we have asked him to come to Newcastle to ride him.

"At this stage, it is likely that Outrageous looks more suited to the Sires' and Champagne Stakes rather than the 1200 metres of the Golden Slipper. I wouldn’t say a definite no to the Slipper but let’s take one step at a time,” Hawkes added.

The pace will be a cracker when the short course flyers Cheers Joyce and Second Island clash in the 900-meter Class 1 Handicap. Cheers Joyce was very impressive when she led all the way to blitz a maiden field over this trip on this track last Saturday. The filly will come out running from the rails barrier.

Cheers Joyce is trained by her breeder Alan Scorse who has had a successful week with his small team. Following Cheers Joyce’s Newcastle win last Saturday, Scorse produced What Could Be to win at Randwick on Wednesday.

Second Island, trained on the Central Coast by former Australian Cyclist Greg Mcfarlane, also possesses blistering speed. The filly outpaced a Wyong maiden field to win by more than four lengths last start.

Kris Lees decision to claim on the consistent Tawfiq Boy could see the gelding atone for a close second first-up when an odds-on favourite at Wyong. The four-year-old was originally allotted 61kg in the 1200 metre Benchmark 62 Handicap but he will carry 59kg following the in-form Jean Van Overmeire’s claim. Tawfiq Boy went down by a nose at Wyong on January 21 and he will strip fitter second-up.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Newcastle here