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Chucky and Dee Roe delight on Hamilton Cup day

Multiple Group 1 winning trainer-driver Aaron Dunn picked up his first country cup on Sunday taking out the Matthews Petroleum Hamilton Pacing Cup with Dee Roe.

Dee Roe.
Dee Roe. Picture: The Trots

The four-year-old was forced to drift back to the tail of the field early after drawing six. An early speed battle between the James Herbertson driven Blake Bolac and the Michael Stanley trained-and-driven Exotic Bushranger kept the tempo up with recorded 29.3 and 29.1 opening quarters.

With 1200m to go and the bell fast approaching, Dunn made his move three deep with a lap to go putting in an audacious move to cross the Herbertson charge and zoom to the front of the field.

The Dunn-prepared charge had to find an extra gear down the straight with Young Bluey and Rocknroll Walla swooping late.

The Horsham horseman urged the winner of over $100,000 over the line in a mile rate of 1.56.4.

"When Arggghhh went I thought I might get a cart into and when he got outside the leader. I thought I will just keep pressing on and got to the front," Dunn said.

The maiden country cup in the state's west was extra special for the 53-year-old.

"I would rate this as my first country cup, I have won some Group 1's," he said.

"I grew up in Chatsworth originally, just down the road. It is a semi-local cup for me."

The square gaiting feature on the card was the Alexandra House Sports Club Hamilton Trotters Club. Inter Dominion runner-up the Marg and Paddy Lee trained Keayang Chucky took out the $20,000 event overcoming a 50m handicap to break the track record.

It took the Jason Lee driven gelding the best part of 1500m to latch onto the field after early favourite the Emma Stewart-trained Harold Smith led through the early part of the race.

As they turned for home Keayang Chucky and stablemate Aldebaran Vera driven by Glen Craven slipped the rest of the field to make it a duel down the straight.

Lee peeled off the back of the fellow Marg and Paddy Lee trained runner to kick away in a mile rate of 1.58.2 to lock-in back-to-back Hamilton Trotters Cup wins for the now six-year-old.

"He was super today, they really bowled along in-front and he (Keayang Chucky) was the class runner in the field," Jason Lee said.

"He is racing well against the elite field and it is was the (50m) handicap that was always going to be tough, but they bowled along."