'We paid five grand for her' - bargain buy Gogo Yubari racks up fifth win for Dylan Cunha

A bug in Dylan Cunha’s Newmarket yard caused a couple of his stable stars to miss Wednesday’s Royal Ascot Trials day, but Gogo Yubari offered some compensation for the trainer when completing a hat-trick in the 6f fillies’ handicap.

Rhys Clutterbuck helped the three-year-old justify 11-4 favouritism to follow up last month’s victories at Lingfield and Wolverhampton. 

Gogo Yubari has earned nearly £25,000 in prize-money since joining Cunha from Amy Murphy in December.

“We paid five grand for her at the mares’ sale and we’ve won five races and had two places from ten starts in four months; it’s been unreal,” said Cunha, who had hoped to run his Brocklesby winner Zminiature in Ascot's opener.

“Unfortunately, we had to take out our two Ascot runners Zminiature and Silver Sword because they scoped dirty. They’ve got temperatures and they just looked flat, that’s what made us have a look. 

“We just have to be careful at the moment. Asgard's Captain was second, Makuri was third yesterday, Gogo Yubari has won and Mart was second just now at Pontefract, so we’re definitely on top of the ones we’re running.”

Silver Sword was last seen finishing second in Group 3 company and is likely to make his seasonal debut at York’s Dante meeting.

“There’s races for both of them at York,” said Cunha. “Silver Sword was always going to Epsom on Derby day and the plan’s always been Royal Ascot with Zminiature, but now that’s really scuppered us.”

The Group 1-winning trainer in his native South Africa, who saddled his first British runner just over two years ago, added: “It’s hard because you’re trying to make it in a country no-one really knows you, so you need your Silver Swords and your Zminiatures. But that’s racing and if it was easy, we’d all do it.” 

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