Highway's Dashing City Success

SUNBURNT Highway, who had been runner-up in two of his four previous Wentworth Park starts, opened his account at headquarters in dashing style yesterday week.

Owned by Judith Richardson and Gary Cluss and trained at Dapto by Judith and her husband John, Sunburnt Highway led throughout to win a 520m fifth grade in a slick 30.17sec.
Those figures were bettered during the meeting by only the Mark Gatt-trained Kingsbrae Cheeko, who showed improved box manners to win a third and fourth grade by five lengths in 30.03sec.
John Richardson puts Sunburnt Highway's improved form down to maturity, experience and to racing at a heavier weight.
“Early in his career he was racing as light as 30.5kg but when he won at Wenty he was 31.3kg,” he said.
“He is thriving in himself but he also beginning better since we eliminated the pre-race stir-up from his race night procedure.
“Sunburnt Highway was in the last race at Wenty but that doesn't worry him, he has the most relaxed nature you could imagine.
“When we put him in the car to take him to the races he lays down immediately and goes to sleep and doesn't wake up until we get to the track.
“Then, as soon as he is kennelled, he is asleep again and won't stir until it is time for him to go out and race.
“Sunburnt Highway had box six with not a lot of early pace around him in his WP win and he is definitely better suited drawn wide.
“I am also training two of his siblings from the Oaks Road-Where's Kitty litter, whelped in August, 2016.
“Sunburnt Opal has won five from 15 at the provincials, including her past two starts at Goulburn, while her brother Sunburnt City has finished an unlucky third in each of his two races, both at Goulburn.
“The litter is going fantastic because they don't turn two for a couple of months so are still only babies.
“But we think Sunburnt Highway especially has a big future.”
The Richardsons had great success over the past couple of years with Young Gun and his kennelmate Ace I Am, both city winners.
Young Gun, who could both sprint and stay, faced the starter 120 times for 16 wins and 58 placings, earning $87,000 in stakes, while Ace I Am won only four races but notched 41 placings, many of them at WP, amassing a tidy $30,000 from his 119 appearances.

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