TALENTED four-year-old Dyrham Park will return and target the Wagga Gold Cup carnival after winning at Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Monday.
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Dyrham Park capped off a terrific preparation with a dominant victory in the Sportsbar Plus Class Three Handicap (1600m).
It was his third win from five starts this campaign, under Canberra trainer Keith Dryden and training partner Scott Collings.
Dyrham Park ($2.80) was three wide for the trip but still proved full of running in the straight as he dashed away to score by two lengths.
The son of Excellent Art will go to the paddock and return to Wagga trainer Dave Heywood next preparation.
Heywood was full of praise for the job Dryden has done while he has been on the comeback trail from an achilles injury.
“Keith has done a fantastic job with the horse,” Heywood said.
“He has helped me out unbelievably. Not only him, but Chris Heywood as well.
“I couldn’t be happier with the job Keith has done with the horse and we’re very appreciative of what he’s done.”
Dyrham Park is ineligible for the Southern District heat of the Country Championships but Heywood is not concerned.
He will aim to have the horse firing for next year’s Wagga Gold Cup carnival.
“He’s a good horse,” he said.
“He deserves to go for a break now and we’ll bring him back in for Wagga Cup time.”
Heywood does not have a particular race in mind but is confident Dyrham Park will get 2000 metres after watching the way he won at Wagga on Monday.
Canberra apprentice Rachel Hunt’s two kilogram claim came in handy as she steered Dyrham Park to a big win.
Talented Goulburn four-year-old Oh So Unfair ($7.00) was two lengths back in second place, while Orrstar ($19.00) was a further half length back in third.
Noble Descent ($3.80) struggled for clear galloping room and battled on to finish well back in sixth place.
Meantime on Monday, Canberra apprentice jockey Carly Frater scored her first TAB victory since returning from a broken pelvis.
Frater scored for her new boss, Neil Osborne, when winning on the well-supported favourite Nicof ($5.50) in the Riverina Co-Operative Benchmark 60 Handicap (1000m).
Frater was out for nine months with the latest setback but has returned with winners at Adaminaby and now Wagga.
“I thought I got to the front too soon, there was nothing really to track into it but he was full of running, which was good,” she said.