Emotions were at a premium in Horsham yesterday after astute horseman Aaron Dunn registered a fairytale win.
With his mother Yvonne and three siblings – Bryan, Kerri and Sarah – in attendance, Dunn trained Our Golden Deal to capture the inaugural Barry Dunn Memorial.
A Group 1-winning trainer, Barry passed away in February 2025.
In what was a massive family gathering, “about 40” members of the clan along with friends enjoyed the afternoon and celebrated the victory.
“It was a pretty emotional day,” Dunn said. “We had a lot of people there, about 40 or so, to celebrate Dad’s race.
“With Bryan coming over from Tassie, my siblings and I made a weekend out of it and even played golf on the Sunday… it’s the first time the four of us have ever done that.
“This was the first running of Dad’s race, so we really wanted to make an event of it, and to win it was just amazing.”
Driven by James Herbertson, Our Golden Deal was beaten for early speed from the pole as his stablemate Scooter Lou led from barrier two.
Finishing strongly along the sprint lane, the daughter of American Ideal completed a metre-and-a-half win from Ranger Rick, with Tallaras Shadow a half-head away third.
Void of luck during the latter stages, Dunn drove Jazzy Melea to finish fourth and beaten just two metres.
“I’m rapt to win the race,” Dunn said. “I had three in it, so I was hoping one would get the job done.
“Our Golden Deal certainly had the chance to make the most of her draw and I’m thrilled she did just that.”
