It’s always a pleasure to talk to a dedicated bush trainer from any part of the nation. This week we go to the busy training hub at Dubbo and to one of its most respected participants. Dar (that’s his official christian name) was one of a family of jockeys from the tiny village of Carinda in the Walgett Shire. He spent more than 35 years as a respected member of the western riding ranks before having to quit following a serious kick from a nervous young horse. Dar has been training for some 14 years from a Dubbo base and has  no intention of trying any other job. Right off the top he appeases the curiosity about his first name. Dar talks about his infrequent trips to town and says it takes a pretty handy horse to warrant a  crack at the city slickers.  He made a rare appearance at Randwick on Saturday where his two runners were out of a place, Saint  Philomena and Elson Boy who had a pretty tough run. Dar says he travelled the horses to Sydney the day before in heatwave conditions. He talks about a horse called Green Run who might earn a trip to the big smoke in the near future. The horse’s regular rider is out of action following a freak mounting yard accident recently. Dar talks about his birthplace of Carinda which boasted a population of 200 during his childhood.  The Dubbo based trainer reflects on the riding activities of four brothers. Dar looks back on school days in Carinda and a move to Walgett as he reached a higher grade.This was when his association with thoroughbreds began under the tutelage of a veteran trainer. He makes the frank confession that he wasn’t licensed at the time of his first few race rides. He looks back on his first legitimate race ride and his first winner  way out west at Bourke. Dar says he wasn’t dedicated to looking after his weight early days, but mended his ways soon after. He talks of the shortage of race meetings in the west and the distances he had to travel to carve out a livelihood as a bush jockey. Dar says he rarely rode on metropolitan tracks, but recalls one exciting win at Eagle Farm in Brisbane. He says he could count his Sydney rides on one hand but reflects on a two year old race at Rosehill when he ran into a rising topliner. The 64 year old remembers his final winning ride on the spacious Warren track on a horse trained by brother Garry. Dar talks about the freakish accident that ended his riding career. The experienced horseman takes us through the Elson Boy story- the unraced horse identified on line by one of his most supportive owners. Dar admits he made a few mistakes before working the gelding out. He takes us through some exciting wins and one heartbreaking setback. Dar looks back on a horse he felt was going places before going amiss. He looks back on a great association with a western trainer who was destined to become his father-in-law. This was Dar’s cue to acknowledge the unwavering support of Jill, his wife of 39 years. He and Jill are the proud parents of daughters Brianna and Layne. Brianna has in turn presented her parents with three grandchildren- all girls. Dar speaks candidly of the sudden stroke that stopped him in his tracks just over two years ago. He hated the inactivity of his recovery but opted to do everything the doctors ordered. Dar Lunn has earned the respect of all in NSW country racing. It’s a pleasure to have him on the podcast.