Neil Dyer has had his fair share of success since bringing horses to the Top End for the Darwin Cup Carnival.
However, it can prove a monumental exercise as Dyer has to travel 3700km just to get to Fannie Bay.
The Victorian trainer, who hails from the country town of Kyneton - an hour's drive north of Melbourne - has ventured to the Territory for the past three years and on each occasion it has taken up to six months for everything to fall in place.
"I usually start planning for Darwin around January and February," Dyer said yesterday.
"I don't usually bring the best horses in my stable to the Top End, it's usually the ones who are suited to the Fannie Bay conditions.
"And if any of the horses excel in Darwin, such as Hawks Bay and Palmyra Boy, I'll bring them back if they're ready to run."
Once he settles on his stable for the trip north, Dyer normally sends them to Alice Springs where they are conditioned by Red Centre trainer Mark Nyhan - the partner of Territory jockey Jan Cameron.
Nyhan then keeps Dyer up to speed on the progress of his horses before the touring party leaves Kyneton bound for Darwin.
Dyer sent Palmyra Boy, Lady Sauk, Mr Butterscotch, Test The Scene and Baby Huey to Alice Springs this year and then later came to Darwin with Hawks Bay, Yaseen The Light and Brel.
"Hawks Bay has come close to winning the Cup in the past two years when he finished second on each occasion, however full credit to Activation (2009) and Shout Out Loud (2010)," Dyer said.
"It would be great if Hawks Bay can finally win the Cup, however it's a crack field on Monday and if he gets luck in the race then anything is possible."
Dyer, his brother Rod and Mandy Hall have been taking care of operations in Darwin this year and up to 20 part-owners are in town to watch their investment in action.
s"I left home on June 6 and following the Carnival we'll head to Alice Springs where we'll have runners at the Pioneer Park meeting on August 6," Dyer confirmed.
Dyer has been training for the past 26 years and the early morning starts have never been an issue as he was a self-employed trackwork rider before changing his career path.
It has been a highly successful trip to the NT already for Dyer as he has picked up a number of wins in feature races.
They include the Bernborough Club Cup (Hawks Bay), ROANT Gold Cup (Palmyra Boy), Chief Ministers Cup (Palmyra Boy) and Metric Mile (Hawks Bay).
Story courtesy of David White, NT News
