Darryl Sherer
Dwayne Dunn plans to stick to the same on-pace formula with Brutal that saw him such an impressive debut winner when the colt steps to black type company at The Valley this Saturday.
Dunn said from Sandown on Wednesday that in Brutal's debut victory and his subsequent jumpout win at Flemington, the horse owned the speed and he said he did not want to tinker with what is working especially with a young horse.
"First time at The Valley, you like to get them up near the lead and near the rail just so they know where they are headed so it is an advantage for a young horse that is green," Dunn said.
"That wasn't really our intention to lead the other day but he jumped well and put himself right in the hot spot. He jumped well in the jumpout the other day and did the same."
A son of O'Reilly, Brutal stamped himself as a Caulfield Guineas contender on debut at Caulfield when he thrashed his rivals by five lengths.
That victory was just five weeks ago but Dunn said he could already see a physical change in the horse as he prepares for Saturday's McKenzie Stakes.
"He's really developed a lot," the jockey said. "If you have a look at him in the yard on Saturday he's gone from a boy to a man. He's headed in the right direction.
"Obviously, he's had five weeks between runs and that jumpout should have just tightened him up nicely.
"If he brings to the races what he did his first start, he's going to be mighty difficult to beat."
Dunn said he and the Hawkes stable were expecting a promising debut from the horse but his dominant performance came as something of a surprise.
"At home, he's just been flying under the radar," Dunn said. "He's shown us enough without exceeding like All Too Hard was at the same stage but what he did at the races, you've just got to admire that.
"Voodoo Lad - he's a Group 1 performer - and he's run similar times.
"He doesn't need to improve. He just needs to bring that to the races. There's no doubt the more he does, the more educated he gets at the races, the better he'll execute."
There is one element of his debut that Dunn does not want replicated, however: "I hope he doesn't do what he did at his first start - he tried to buck me off at the start. That's just him being a kid."