Grafton preview: Will Hulbert hints at a Cup upset with Dillian

Courier-Mail

17-07-2025

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To say co-trainer Will Hulbert was surprised at the price of Dillian in the Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) would be an understatement.
Hulbert is adamant Dillian should have won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Eagle Farm on May 31 and at least placed in the Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast last start and feels the $26 is way over the odds.
'To be brutally honest in my opinion, I think he has been slaughtered his last three starts,' said Hulbert who trains in partnership with his father, Peter.
The imported gelding finished 10th in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup and last in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup behind Campaldino both times before an eighth to Half Yours in the Listed Caloundra Cup.
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Prior to those three runs, he kicked off his campaign, his first for the stable, with back-to-back wins over 2050m at Doomben and 2400m at Eagle Farm.
'I think he should have run second in the Caloundra Cup, the Brisbane Cup, who knows if he can run two miles but being three-wide for the first 1000 metres doesn't help,' Hulbert said.
'In the QE II Cup, I've got no doubt in my mind he would have won that if he got clear air from the 800 metres.
'I would have thought Dillian would have been near favourite.
'We know he can definitely run the distance.
'I've got our old apprentice, Adin Thompson, on this week
'He doesn't need good luck to win, he just doesn't need bad luck.
'From barrier 4, he's going to get a nice run and if he gets clear running from the 800 metres, I think he will be the one to beat.'
Joining Dillian in the Grafton Cup is fellow import Zoology who is also in his first preparation for the stable.
The son of Zoustar pleased Hulbert on his first-up run over 1350m at Doomben despite beating just three home.
The five-year-old then finished second over 1800m at the Sunshine Coast and third to Eaglemont over 1650m at Doomben before returning there last Saturday with a nice win over 2000m.
'He has shown a lot of ability from the first day her arrived in the stable,' Hulbert said.
'He was going really well leading into his first-up run for us but he just had to go back to near last from the barrier because I didn't want to give him a gut buster first-up.
'He still ran quite well and the form has been franked by The Inflictor.
'I thought he would win two starts ago over the mile at Doomben then I galloped him on the Saturday then when the data that came back from the Equimetre came back, I thought 'crap' he is looking for 2000 metres.
'That's was how he raced so we stepped him up to the 2000 metres last Saturday and he blew them away. He had a really good turn of foot at the end of it.'
Apprentice Rob Thorburn rode Zoology a treat last weekend and Hulbert had no hesitation sticking with him in the Cup and isn't concerned by the five day back-up for the gelding.
'I had no intentions of taking Rob off at all,' he said.
'He rides a bit of work for me and has had 13 rides for five wins.
'The quick back-up back doesn't concern me at all. He pulled up extremely well.
'The only query is stepping up to the 2350 metres for the first time.
'From barrier 1, he's not going to spend any petrol for the first three-quarters of the race anyway so may as well through caution to the wind and see what happens.'