Fourth win in Geraldine Cup for Robert Dunn

Bryce’s Meddles’s (Terror To Love) win in the Geraldine Cup today was the fourth time harness racing trainer Robert Dunn has won the Orari grass track feature.

Driver Tim Williams settled the gelding back in the running. He joined the outside train but was still a fair way off the pace. Kiss The Girls came round to sit parked, leaving Bryce’s Meddle three back on the outside. Turning in, Williams brought the four year old three wide and at the end of the long run to the finish line he was a head in front of Kiss The Girls with another head back to American Me in third.

BRYCE’S MEDDLE REPLAY

“He’s a battler who goes honest races. The bred if they stay sound, can keep racing until they’re eight or nine and he’s one of those horses. He’s not the greatest gaited horse in the world. He wears spreaders and the only thing he does (in training) is gallop down the beach. He loves it,” said Robert who trains the gelding with daughter-in-law Jenna.

Despite a good fifth at the Akaroa meeting at his last start, Bryce’s Meddle was sent out eighth favourite in the ten horse field.

“He’s been quietly getting better when he’s got good runs, so I expected him to go pretty good.”

The four year old is owned by Warwick Sparks and his mother Una. The win was Bryce’s Meddle’s seventh.

“I got to know the family about fifty three years ago through Peter Andrews who was the Chairman at the Met for a long time, so it’s been a long association that goes back to when I started training.”

Dunn said Bryce’s Meddle will continue to race in the Country Cups races.

“He’s a dead set Country Cups horse and Warwick and Una love going to the races. Seing that we’ve won the last two Country Cups Finals we’ll have to try and win it three time (laughter).”

The Sparks have been breeding from this family for a long time and Lionels Meddle has been their best horse so far. He won fourteen races including ten for Dunn.

The first time Dunn won the Geraldine Cup was with Bound To Be (Playbill) in 1975. The others were Lucky in 2004 and Jimmy Arma in 2022.

Tim Williams has driven a Geraldine Cup winner once before – Funonthebeach in 2018.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink