WAGGA trainer Dave Heywood hopes a change in tactics can help Dyrham Park run the race of his life in Friday’s $150,000 Gold Cup.
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Heywood is no stranger to success in the Wagga Gold Cup, having won the feature race back in 1985 with Pride Of Indies.
Dyrham Park enters this year’s Gold Cup as the 100-1 joint outsider and while Heywood concedes he has a task in front of him, he believes his horse is capable of running a big race.
“On paper, it looks a pretty good Cup, if they all run,” Heywood said.
“He’s no dunce horse, he can gallop.
“I was just discussing it with the owner (on Wednesday), but he’s got to go up to another level.
“It’s like a good footballer going to Sydney, they’ve got to go to another level.
“I think he’s got it in him, but I think he’s got another 12 months. He’s a big immature thing, but he can gallop.
“I wouldn’t faint if he runs a real big race.”
Simon Miller will again partner Dyrham Park, but the pair have the task in front of them from barrier 15.
Heywood said Dyrham Park will be ridden quietly in a bid for him to rediscover his best form.
“He’s drawn a bad alley so he’s going to go back, that’s how we want him ridden,” he said.
“So hopefully there’s going to be a heap of speed on because his best runs have been when he gets back and gets home.
“Sitting up on the pace he just bats away. But if you ride him back, he really can get home. So that’s way we’re going to give him a chance, I’ll tell Simon to get back and if he’s got to get back further than what we want him, to get over, then so be it.
“It’s no good being back and being 10 deep, we may as well be back last on the fence. So that’s the way we’re going to treat it.”
Heywood is not sending Dyrham Park around just to make up the numbers. When asked what would be a good result for the four-year-old, Heywood did not hold back.
“It would be a great result if he won,” he said.
“He’s probably still 12 months off, but he’s in it.
“His run in that 2000 metre race (two starts ago) was fantastic. He probably should have nearly won the race.”
Heywood will be looking to go a few better than Thursday after Man Of Peace ran a big race to finish fourth in the Wagga Town Plate.
Heywood was happy with the run.
“He went fantastic. They’ve run 1.09 something so you can’t run any faster than that,” Heywood said.
“Simon (Miller) thought he was going to win it at the furlong and a quarter but the winner has just gone woosh.
“He ran out of his skin though, I’m rapt.”
