Connections of Midnight Dynamite are keen to provide him with a shot at a $3 million prize following his scintillating win in the Winter Challenge at Rosehill.
After adding Saturday’s black-type feature to his victory in last month’s Listed Civic Stakes (1400m), the next logical step is the Coffs Harbour Cup (1600m) on August 7. A win in that race will earn him a spot in the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.
“We’re mindful he’s had a long ‘prep’ so we’ll see how he comes through, but the initial plan is Coffs,” trainer Bjorn Baker’s racing manager, Luke Hilton, said.
“We’d like to get him into the Big Dance if he can run a mile which, off that, it looks like he might.
“He has come to a new level this preparation. Even looking at him, I still don’t think we’ve gotten to the bottom of him. He’s going to be a better horse next preparation.
“He’s one of those Bjorn has been patient with. He’s got better and better each preparation. He’s reaping the benefits now and more to come hopefully.”
The Winter Challenge (1500m) marked Midnight Dynamite’s ($3.20 fav) fourth win in six starts this campaign. The four-year-old colt had the race firmly in his grasp a long way from the finish, living up to his favourite status according to leading betting apps Australia.
With the pace set strongly by Whinchat, he launched to the front midway up the straight, leaving his rivals trailing by three lengths. Just Folk ($14) claimed second, with General Salute ($6) a neck further back in third.
Hilton confessed that the stable had reservations about the horse potentially needing a spell after his last-start placing in the Winter Stakes (1400m), but his work during the week dispelled any lingering doubts.
“Bjorn was a little bit concerned that maybe he’d come to the end of it, but his work on Tuesday was fantastic. He’s just thriving, this horse,” Hilton said.
“It was hard to even get a little bit of a cheer up there because he had them shot to pieces very early. Tommy (Berry) rode him really well, put him to sleep, and he was able to quicken up really well.”
Midnight Dynamite’s victory gave Baker consecutive wins in the Winter Challenge, following his success with Robusto 12 months ago.
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