Bunyan Hoping To Hit The Jackpot

Curragh trainer Darren Bunyan is looking forward to saddling his first Dubai Carnival runner when Hit The Bid (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) lines up for a five-furlong handicap at Meydan next Thursday Jan. 11. The 4-year-old colt was the main flag-bearer for Bunyan's yard last year, winning a listed race at Cork in June and running second in a premier handicap at The Curragh in July before finishing up the season with a close second to Take Cover (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) in a listed race at Dundalk in October. Bunyan believes this could be a big year for the colt who he bought as a yearling at Tattersalls Book 2 in 2015 for 40,000gns and reports him to have settled in well in his new environment. “He travelled over very well and has settled in great so I couldn't be happier with him,” Bunyan told The TDN on Friday. “It's a place I've always wanted to have a runner but I didn't want to send one until I thought I had one capable of winning and I think Hit The Bid is exactly that type. My wife Gillian traveled over with him and she says he's loving the sun on his back.”

While Bunyan is hopeful of a good show on Thursday he expects the colt to show the benefit of the run. “Whatever he does next Thursday he will improve off it as its only the first start of the year. All going well he could the run in another handicap [Feb. 8], something similar two weeks later then the big sprint on Super Saturday. If he clicked in any of them it would be nice to think he could line up in the Group 1 [Al Quoz Sprint] on World Cup night.”

Hit The Bid sprang a surprise when winning the G3 Curragh S. as a 2-year-old at odds of 50-1, but that came as no surprise to Bunyan and he feels the horse has already achieved a great deal up the end of his 3-year-old career. “At 107 he's already rated similar to where Slade Power and Mecca's Angel were at the same stages of their careers so he has done a hell of a lot for horse just turned four. He's after developing a lot since his last run in October and he has really grown into himself.”

To many observers Hit The Bid was an unlucky loser when just touched off by the evergreen Take Cover at Dundalk and his trainer agrees: “He was drawn out quite wide that day and had to go harder earlier to get a position and he just ended up in front too soon as a result and just got caught on the line.”

Bunyan flew to Dubai Dec. 26 for a few days to check in with his wife and Hit The Bid and will return on Tuesday before flying home again Thursday evening. Should the horse perform as he hopes, Bunyan will have no problem commuting over and back until the end of March as he can't take his eye off the ball with his domestic string, a team he thinks is the best he has had in advance of any Irish flat season.

“Its early days but it's the nicest bunch of horses we have ever had.” Bunyan is well capable of readying an early juvenile as Mister Trader (GB) (Hellvelyn {GB})'s win in the opening 2-year-old maiden of the season at The Curragh in 2016 proves and he has high hopes for this year's crop. “We have some lovely 2-year-olds. They had plenty done before Christmas and had a nice break and will kick on now. There are some smart 3-year-olds also who did not run last year. We try to focus on quality, we have 27 boxes and they are all full so we are looking forward to the year.”

There is every chance Darren Bunyan can get his year off to a flyer well before the Irish flat turf season gets into gear and with Hit The Bid he appears to have a potential Group 1 sprinter on his hands.