Former stunt performer Jeff Dunn celebrated a career-defining moment on Wednesday when stable star Sha Of Gomer stormed home to win the Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton.
Dunn, who once rode in the Australian Outback Spectacular show on the Gold Coast before switching to training, claimed his first black-type victory in the time-honoured country sprint.
Partnered by his wife, jockey Rikki Jamieson, Sha Of Gomer ($10) enjoyed the perfect stalking run behind the pace and pounced in the straight, surging clear to defeat Compelling Truth ($4 betting fav) by 1-1/4 lengths, with Barber ($6) another half-length away in third.
With around 15 horses in work, Dunn said capturing a Ramornie Handicap (1200m) meant the world—made even sweeter by sharing the win with his life partner in the saddle.
“This would have been great for me but I will never surpass this in my career now because Rikki was on,” Dunn told Sky Racing.
Superstitious about celebrating too soon, Dunn kept a lid on things until the job was done.
“I’ve had a few early crow moments in my time and I didn’t want to do that in a big race,” he said.
“The way he was travelling leading into the corner, I was getting up out of my seat. Halfway down the straight I stood a bit taller and by the winning post I was jumping up and down.”
The win eased the sting of Sha Of Gomer’s narrow half-length defeat in the Listed Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) at Ipswich two starts back—an effort Dunn now sees as a key learning run for the gelding, who only joined the stable in April.
“Having that run taught us a lot about the horse and how long his turn of foot lasts,” Dunn said
“Had we not had that run we might not have been able to win the last two.”
The Ramornie triumph was also a milestone for Jamieson, marking her second Listed-level success and her first in 11 years since guiding Lucky Tom to victory in the 2014 The Phoenix at Eagle Farm.
Like Dunn, Jamieson was thrilled that the breakthrough came as a shared achievement.
“Doing it with Jeff makes it better for me,” Jamieson said.
“I’ve had a bit of a career myself and he is just beginning. He just needs a few more decent horses to pick him up because he trains so well and we work really well as a team.”
Since transferring to Dunn, Sha Of Gomer has now won three of six starts—including his past two on the trot.
If you’re keen to bet on future editions of the Ramornie Handicap or follow Sha Of Gomer’s next start, be sure to compare odds and bonuses across Australia’s leading betting sites.
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