Bunyan readies Hit The Bid for Meydan Sprint

Curragh trainer Darren Bunyan will break new ground next month when his star sprinter Hit The Bid will become his first runner in Dubai at the upcoming carnival.

Hit The Bid, winner of a Curragh Group 3 as a juvenile and the Listed Midsummer Sprint Stakes at Cork this year, looks set to start in handicap company, building up to the Group 2 Meydan Sprint in February.

Bunyan said: "I've never had a runner in Dubai because I wouldn't travel unless I had one good enough to win – this fella is."

The son of Exceed And Excel is set to begin his campaign on January 11 in a 5f handicap worth $160,000.

Bunyan, who worked with John Oxx, Dermot Weld and Ken Condon before taking out his licence in 2011, added: "There are four races for him in total, generally handicaps worth around $175,000, and the sun on his back will be enjoyable for him."

He added: "He's going to be some sprinter next year, he will be proper. It's everything about him, he's just gorgeous. Even Leigh Roche says the other jockeys down at the start of his races seem to admire him."

Visit racingpost.com for the best coverage of the Dubai carnival