Underachiever Lubrication set for more Doomben success

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Matt Dunn concedes Lubrication has not lived up to his early promise but is confident the four-year-old can make it back-to-back wins at Doomben on Wednesday.

Lubrication – a Ryan Maloney mount – is eligible for a Class Three but Dunn believes he can win in harder grade in the Class Five Handicap over 1350 metres.

Lubrication, who jumps from barrier two, is chasing his third win from his past four starts and is coming off a narrow win over the Kelly Schweida-trained Deep Respect in a 1350-metre Class Three at Doomben on June 9.

Lubrication has a powerful ownership group which includes Kitchwin Hills, Max Whitby and Neil Werrett.

The Murwillumbah trainer held Lubrication in high esteem early in his career and had ambitions of chasing the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap with him as a three-year-old.

Lubrication was aimed for the Stradbroke after placing in the 2023 Listed Mick Dittman Plate at Doomben but failed in a do-or-die attempt to qualify when unplaced in the Group 3 Fred Best at Eagle Farm at his next appearance.

Dunn also considered Lubrication a future stallion prospect as a younger horse before he was forced to geld the son of Invincible.

“He looked like being a really nice horse in his early days, but he hasn’t quite lived up to it,” Dunn said.

“He’s still eligible for Class Three but he’s got a rating of a Class Five horse that’s why we aim him for Plate races.

“This is a nice race for him and with his good gate (barrier 2) he’ll be hard to beat.”

Although hopeful Lubrication can notch up win number four at his 14th start, Dunn has no plans to send him to Sydney for the spring.

Dunn won yet another Highway Handicap at Randwick on Saturday with Cranky Harry and continued his fine form with a winning double from six runners at Grafton on Sunday.

In-form sprinter Denied looks the main threat with a three-kilogram claim for Emily Lang, who was aboard the four-year-old mare when second to Atlantic Ocean in a 1350-metre Benchmark race at Doomben last month.

Denied was chasing his fourth straight win for Bruce after notching up wins at the Sunshine Coast and Doomben.