Rockhampton Cup champion Hype may chase more North Queensland Cups

By Garry Dell

Tasmanian trainer Aiden Nunn will give serious consideration to chasing more North Queensland Cups success at Townsville and Cairns with Saturday's impressive Rockhampton Cup winner Hype.

Nunn, whose wife part-owns the six-year-old gelding, said he would discuss the possibility with his wife and the other part-owner when he checks on the horse over the next couple of days.

"I want to see how he recovers from Saturday's race and follow his progress over the next few days before making any decisions about his future," he said.

"But Townsville and Cairns are definetely under consideration because I believe he would be suited to the Townsville track and the 2100 metres of the Cup and then progress to the similar distance of the Cairns and Cairns Amateurs Cups.

"I'll be in Queensland playing in polo events until September so anything's possible at this stage.

"I was planning to look at putting him over a middle distance in Brisbane in a couple of weeks but the weather outlook doesn't look too flash and he doesn't like wet tracks.

''The first time we stretched him out to 1800 metres in the Devenport Cup jockey Andrew Darmanin said he raced a bit erratic throughout and yet flashed home to be narrowly beaten.

"Since coming to Queensland, he's been much more settled in his racing and likes to lob along back in the field and unleash in the straight."

Hype settled near the rear in the Rockhampton Cup (1600 metres) and when jockey Teagan Voorham pulled him out to the centre of the track at the top of the straight he finished at a great rate to overhaul local champion Master Jamie for a convincing victory.

Nunn's polo career has been well documented with him competing in carnivals in South East Queensland and Western Queensland/New South Wales country towns before major tournaments in Sydney and later in the year in Melbourne during the Spring Racing Carnival.

He also sells polo ponies he has trained for clients in Australia and overseas.

Nunn is familiar with North Queensland racing having been to Townsville while working with a trainer in western Queensland some years ago.

His horses are currently stabled at Beaudesert with former Townsville trainer Steve Jokic.

"Steve's daughter Chelsea has a dual trainer-jockey licence and she's up in Townsville at the moment so I can get plenty of good information to help make up my mind about making the trip up there," he said.

"I'll wait a few days and see how the horse recovers and check his weight before making a final decision.

"But there's a good possibility we might be on the road up there."