After bouncing back from a tendon injury, one of Stawell's most successful horses has scored a major win during the 2021 spring racing season.
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Eight-year-old Barry The Baptist claimed the the 2021 Dunkeld Cup on Saturday, November 13, racing home first past the post by just a length.
Barry The Baptist has been one country Victoria's most successful horses in recent times, with Saturday's win his first win since the Apsley Cup in June 2019.
The Paul Jones-trained son of Hard Spun, missed out on a year of racing between October 2019 and October 2020, and has been returning to strong form in 2021 with placings on several occasions since returning to the track.
"He's raced very well, and he's just been unlucky," Jones told RACING.COM after the race.
"He was unlucky at Moonee Valley last prep and again at Werribee, he probably could have won a few more races, he's just been pretty unlucky a few times and he's been racing well and very consistently, without much luck."
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Barry The Baptist started the day as a $2.60 favourite in the 2021 edition of the Dunkeld Cup, with his trainer admitting he was confident about Barry The Baptist's chances.
"We thought he'd run well, he had a pretty tough run the week before at Ararat, he got stuck wide and did it pretty tough, we thought that'd set him up good for this race," he said.
"The track being soft, and back 200 metres, he was hard fit and right up to it."
Unfortunately the grandstands and marquees were empty at Dunkeld for another year, with the event taking place without spectators.
The annual race meeting usually attracts thousands of racegoers from across Victoria, but with the supporters of Barry The Baptist disappointed to miss out on seeing the spoils of victory.
"It's a pity the crowd wasn't there," Jones said.
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"He's got some pretty loyal owners that like to follow him around wherever he goes, so it was a bit disappointing they couldn't be there, but hopefully next time he goes around, they'll be there."
Fresh off his return to the winner's list, Barry The Baptist's owners might be able to see him in action again in November.
Depending on his recovery Jones said the gelding could run at Ballarat, with the $500,000 Ballarat Cup being one possible option on the card for him.
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