Trainer Matt Dunn wins another South Grafton Cup with Boys Night Out

After winning the South Grafton Cup in back-to-back years with Cepheus, one of Matt Dunn’s emerging stars completed the hat-trick.

Mitch Cohen

less than 2 min read

July 13, 2025 - 5:43PM

Hot Bandit (left) and Boys Night Out have booked their spots in the Big Dance after wins at Narrandera and Grafton respectively. Pictures: Bradley Photos, Getty Images

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Emerging talent Boys Night Out continued Matt Dunn’s recent dominance of the $80,000 South Grafton Cup (1610m) and gave the Murwillumbah trainer another crack at the $3 million Big Dance with a hard fought win on Sunday.

Boys Night Out ($4) came out on top in a thrilling three way go that saw Vivy Air ($8.50) and Sibaaq ($7) narrowly denied in a desperately tight photo finish.

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It gave Dunn a hat-trick of South Grafton Cup wins.

Former star stablemate Cepheus went back-to-back in the South Grafton Cup in 2023/24 and went on to finish runner-up to Attractable in the inaugural 2023 Big Dance, lugging 62kg.

The imported gelding died due to an injury in trackwork in the lead-up to his second crack at the Big Dance.

Boys Night Out is one of Dunn’s latest contenders for the lucrative spring feature and backed up consecutive victories at Rosehill Gardens and Ipswich with a determined Cup success.

BOYS NIGHT OUT wins the South Grafton Cup!

That's three years in a row in the @clarenceriverjc Big Dance ðŸ’ƒeligible feature for @mattydunnracing and a hat-trick for the four-year-old as he prevails in a tight finish over Vivy Air and Sibaaq. @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/NXVuUzfpWj
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) July 13, 2025

• Archibalds have eye on Grafton feature double

“This race is quite special,” Dunn’s stable representative Holly Julius said.

“Cepheus won it last year and the year before and we’ve lost him and it gets a bit emotional when you talk about him.

“But we have to talk about this boy now, Boys Night Out. He has done such a fantastic job to hold onto that.

“He fits so hard and a credit to Jake (Bayliss), he kept his cool.”

The Luke Pepper-trained Hot Bandit also snared Big Dance eligibility on Sunday after taking out the $70,000 Narrandera Showcase Cup (1600m).

HOT BANDIT win the Narrandera Cup!

A big finish from the @pepperracing1 gelding denies Prince Of Helena three straight in the Big Dance ðŸ’ƒ eligible race at @Narranderaraces while Louie's Legacy finished third. @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/EMSXX6dpkX
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) July 13, 2025

• New Entain Australia boss wants to win ... ‘but not at all costs’

Apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag helped the son of Sebring Sun make a sustained run from back in the field and outpoint Prince Of Helena ($4.40) in a competitive fight to the line.

Both Prince Of Helena and South Grafton Cup runner-up Vivy Air also get Little Dance-Big Dance eligibility for finishing among the placings.

Originally published as Trainer Matt Dunn wins another South Grafton Cup with Boys Night Out