Dylan Cunha and assistant Jordan Hopkins dreaming big with expanded team heading into 2024 Flat campaign

Saturday's start to a new Flat season is the harbinger of hope for all racehorse trainers but perhaps none more so than Newmarket-based South African Dylan Cunha who, with a much increased string, seeks a breakthrough year.

When Gold Medal won a couple of races at Lingfield last March, the Grade One winning handler in his home country had only four horses to run yet now starts the new campaign with over 50, including 25 two-year-olds and a Guineas entry.

And Cunha hopes to hit the ground running with several runners over the next few days including DIRTYOLDTOWN, EXPRESSIONLESS, ZMINIATURE and ASGARD'S CAPTAIN.

Expansion has been facilitated by the retirement of Phantom House Stables landlord William Jarvis last year as well as the exploits of the reformed rogue SILVER SWORD who put his trainer’s name in lights when winning the £100,000 Sky Bet Mile Handicap at York’s Ebor meeting last August.

Having refused to race in his first two starts in August, 2022, the Charm Spirit grey won three times last season climbing 21lb in the handicapper's ratings to a mark of 103.

The victory at York was a major step forward but Cunha insists that the catalyst for increased patronage was Silver Sword's fine second (to Torito) at Epsom on Derby Day.

He said: "For South Africans, Epsom is a dream. It’s an extraordinary racecourse and that run got me noticed. If I can have a winner there, it would give me a great sense of achievement."

Not surprisingly, Silver Sword's first major target of the season, after a possible reappearance at Ascot or Sandown, is the Group Three Diomed Stakes on Derby Day.

Cunha is familiar with the British racing scene and the racecourses here as, after growing up on his father Luiz’s stud farm back home, he gained experience as a stable lad for Robert Armstrong and Barry Hills - “two hard men who liked a drink but both with a meticulous approach to stable management” - around the turn of the millennium.

Despite being the target of many a rollocking (a polite term for this family-friendly platform) it was an impressionable time. And to be upbraided by Hills - known as 'Mr Combustible' - was almost an expression of perverse endearment.

He said: “Barry only seemed to tell people off who he liked. It showed he was interested in you whereas others he just ignored.

“And soon afterwards he would calmly talk to you. They were great days for me, a period when he had Distant Music (winner of the Dewhurst) and Rainbow High (two Chester Cups)."

Back home, Cunha set up as a trainer sending out winners at every racecourse in South Africa but a succession of shockingly violent attacks on his neighbours and his sister’s hijacking, despite being based in the supposedly safe environs of the Summerveld training centre (about 35km from Durban), forced a rethink and a return to the UK for the safety of his children.

Starting back at scratch, it was difficult to get going in the extremely competitive melting pot of British racing's Headquarters but, with the help of his father's knowledge of pedigrees and the enthusiastic form book assistance of bloodstock agent Jordan Hopkins, the winners slowly began to flow; there were 16 in 2023, and five already this year.

Just as Cunha’s story is dramatic, Hopkins should be an inspiration for any youngster with the ambition to make a career in the racing industry.

From a non-horsey background, the 24-year-old, locally-based biology graduate was taken to the races by his grandfather, and his destiny was sealed when he saw Frankel storm to victory in the 2000 Guineas.

He recalls: “I will never forget the atmosphere that day and the noise of the crowd. You didn't need a grasp of racing to know that it was something special and, from then on, I just wanted to get involved."

Hopkins started offering tips on Twitter, attained 17,000 followers and then concentrated on French racing as "no one else was doing it."

With regard to bloodstock, he is virtually self-taught, apart from a spell shadowing Matt Coleman (of Stroud Coleman), and first met Cunha when working as a barman at Ascot. The two men now work as a team, posting regular updates on social media, and Cunha is quick to acknowledge his young counterpart’s contribution.

He said: “Jordan works hard and has found many new owners to buy into the yearlings while also spending hours on race planning with our friend Bob Stevens which frees me up to be with the horses.”

"We try to keep up a regular flow of content on social media, though sometimes it's difficult to come up with new ideas. But we always advertise each runner without giving an opinion on whether the horse will win or not."

Cunha prefers to be very hands on in the yard and is ambitious to train a Classic winner one day.

On Tuesday morning, the 2000 Guineas entry EL BUFALO moved impressively in a piece of faster work on his second trip up Warren Hill and his credentials are set to be tested in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on April 20 providing the ground is not too soft.

This muscular, close coupled son of Havana Grey ran a promising second on his debut at Newcastle in December, the form of which has been well boosted, before winning by three lengths at Wolverhampton.

Quietly realistic, Cunha accepts that El Bufalo needs to improve a lot to threaten in the colts Classic but said: “We like him and I shall step up his work in the coming weeks. And we're allowed to dream.”

Meanwhile, the new season begins with a fresh pair of hands and first call on the services of Rhys Clutterbuck who has already ridden Gogo Yubari (runs at Lingfield tomorrow) and Asgard's Captain to victory.

Cunha is impressed: "I think Rhys is a steal. He's a top rider but really underrated, hard working and honest. Other jockeys have told me it's a really good move and he's been well trained at Gary Moore's."

So, hope springs for the months to come. More immediately, there are runners to kick off the turf season, and a few other names to note:

DIRTYOLDTOWN, trained up to last September by Grant Tuer, put two moderate runs behind him to win comfortably in a seven-furlong, heavy ground handicap at Newmarket in November. Cunha, who had no explanation for the improvement in form that day, says: "He's unpredictable but fit and well, galloping well and will run in the Spring Mile at Doncaster on Saturday. We can't say exactly how he's going to run but the ground will suit him and he could still be well handicapped."

EXPRESSIONLESS is also "hard to predict" but scored twice last April. He was entered for a mile-and-a-half amateur riders handicap at Doncaster on Sunday but, because of concerns about his stamina, also runs in the Spring Mile.

ASGARD'S CAPTAIN has won three of his five races for Cunha and returns to Newcastle, where he won earlier in the month, on Monday. Should he win, a penalty could get him into a £200,000 handicap on All-Weather Finals Day at Newcastle next Friday. Cunha says: "He's quite a hard-pulling horse but continues to improve and, if possible, we would like to run again if all goes well on Monday."

ZMINIATURE will be Cunha's first runner in Saturday's Brocklesby Stakes. "He's small but a fast and straightforward colt with a fantastic temperament. We gave him a gallop at Chelmsford and he went four furlongs with a useful horse. What happens in the fifth furlong at Doncaster will be the question for him and the others."

Others to watch out for...

CHARLOTTE'S LUCK, who ran once in France, was well beaten on her only start at Wolverhampton for Cunha but much more is expected of this charming daughter of the impeccably-bred Zarak (Dubawi out of Zarkava), and she may even get an Oaks entry.

CERVETTO, recommended by William Jarvis, landed some good bets for his owners in an apprentice handicap at Lingfield leaving his trainer a relieved man. "The bigger the price on offer, the more they had on!". The colt was beaten five days later when trying to take advantage of being unpenalised but the race may have come too soon.

FARO DE SAN JUAN won at Chester last June and, given a wind operation during the winter, could be well handicapped with the Ayr Silver Cup a possible long-term target.

Finally, the two-year-olds LICENCE TO CONQUER, a strong colt by Invincible Army, who is qualified for the Goffs Million, JUST KING HIGH, by Kodiac, who should be out before Royal Ascot and SANSANETTI, a promising daughter of Sottsass, could also be worth watching out for.

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