Racing: Tawqeet's best is yet to come says Dunn

MELBOURNE - Dwayne Dunn sounded an ominous warning to this year's Melbourne Cup aspirants when he declared Saturday's Caulfield Cup winner Tawqeet had not yet peaked this spring.

Trained by David Hayes, Tawqeet was brilliant as he charged through a gap in the dying stages to beat Aqua D'Amore by a long neck with Japanese stayer Delta Blues closing fast for third a short neck away.

Dunn said that after Tawqeet won Sydney's group one Metropolitan Handicap (2400m) two weeks ago, he knew that the spring was only going to get better for the chestnut.

"I said at the press conference on Friday that he was only 60 per cent up in Sydney, he is 80 per cent today and he will be 110 per cent when he gets to Flemington for the cup," Dunn said.

"I was very confident going into today's race even though everyone else wasn't."

Dunn said Tawqeet was not quite quick enough to beat Sphenophyta to a run in the home straight, which cost him a length, but the horse was never beaten and was just waiting for another opening.

"I got into the clear and I thought it was all going to happen for me," Dunn said.

"Then Sphenophyta came out underneath me and got the run quicker than I could get there.

"I had to stop him [Tawqeet] in his tracks and go back a length inside and try and keep him balanced.

"I was a little bit concerned he mightn't show that same turn of foot but he did like he did in the Metropolitan and powered to the line and was too strong."

Dunn, 33, was an accomplished South Australian rider but it wasn't until he went to Hong Kong six years ago that he had his first ride for Hayes, who had left Adelaide four years earlier.

"When I got to Hong Kong he was good enough to give me a ride and I had my first winner up there for him," Dunn said. "Our association blossomed from there and basically I rode number two for him throughout my time there."

Dunn returned from Hong Kong two years ago with his wife, Amanda, and children Dylan and Jessica, and success has followed.

In the past two years, he has won Victoria's premier two-year-old race, the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield, on Undoubtedly for Mark Kavanagh and Nadeem for Hayes.

"I came back to Adelaide trying to travel the carnivals out of there and the last two have been great for me," Dunn said.

"The big ones are the ones I have been looking for and this is it."

Dunn said Tawqeet had earned respect as a serious Melbourne Cup horse and those who did not give him his due would do so at their own peril.

"You know he is going to be one of the favourites going into the cup and I think they will stand up and take note today."

- AAP