Potentially tricky draws for Dunn in two of tonight's Group 1s

By Michael Guerin

John Dunn is worried he could find himself on the losing end of a three-card shuffle in not one but two of the biggest races at Alexandra Park tonight.

That doesn’t mean the Canterbury driver can’t win either of the Group 1s but he might need a little luck along the way.

Dunn partners Got The Chocolates in the $100,000 Roy Purdon Memorial for the open class pacers and Petite Amour in the $120,000 IRT Sires’ Stakes Championships.

Both races look like they have three major, or realistic, winning chances: Got The Chocolates, The Lazarus Effect and Swayzee in the open pace and Our Col, Kyvalley Ray and Petite Armour in the three-year-old trot.

Got The Chocolates has been backed into $2.15 favouritism for the Roy Purdon over 2200m mobile after his flashing second in the Taylor Mile last Friday and barrier 1 might sound ideal, apart from the fact it isn’t.

“He doesn’t really have that high gate speed so I think The Lazarus Effect will cross us at the start,” says Dunn.

“And then I think if Swayzee attacks Bob [Butt, driving The Lazarus Effect] would probably hand him the lead and get the trail and we could be three deep on the markers.”

While that wouldn’t make punters taking the short odds about Got The Chocolates feel all that comfortable there is a saving grace in that scenario.

With Swayzee such a big, rolling stayer he could have plenty of his rivals off the bit early tonight and Dunn is confident he will get a gap and clear run late.

“I am sure we will get out because of the way Swayzee races but we still might have to run past the other two favourites which may not be that easy,” says Dunn.

“I reckon if it unfolds like that then The Lazarus Effect is actually the horse to beat and he is the one whose price looks too big to me.”

That is, of course, if either of the locals can run past Swayzee, which is no small feat as Leap To Fame couldn’t do that in a Hunter Cup just two months ago.

The three-year-old trot sees Dunn with a really good filly in Petite Amour (barrier 3) but up against potentially two better trotters in Kyvalley Ray (2) and Our Col (1).

Our Col set a national record beating Petite Amour at Cambridge two starts ago in a race where Kyvalley Ray galloped early but the latter found his manners last Friday to win here, with Our Col below her best in third.

Trainer Tony Herlihy thinks his filly will improve tonight but Kyvalley Ray is favoured to lead with Our Col maybe holding her back and that could give Dunn the short straw again.

“My filly likes to roll out at the start and get going so we will do that and see what happens but it is another race that could be a bit finnicky.”

While both the fillies could beat Kyvalley Ray he looks to hold the aces and unless Our Col returns to her best he is the one to beat.