The veteran trainer had missed out on a win in the opening event at the October 2 race meeting in Dubbo, but found his stride in the fourth race of the day, with Smart Ain't He and jockey Ronald Simpson both giving their all to spark a small upset off a prohibitive favourite.

Heading into the Melbourne Cup Long Lunch Class 1 and Maiden Plate (1600m) many had the Allan Denham trained and Mathew Cahill jockeyed My Empire as the clear favourite, drawing down $2 odds in comparison to Smart Ain't He's wider $6 bet.

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But Lunn's six-year-old gelding proved from the get go that the smart money had been on him all along, tearing away from the ninth barrier and settling into an early lead that proved fruitful all the way down the track.

The thundering galloper saw off early challenges from Mark Milton's Kazumi and Brett Thompson's favourably positioned Rusty Hawk and exchanged positions with the Luke Morgan trained Stashes approaching the final turn, but the crowded field eventually gave way to a two-way battle between the Ronald Simpson ridden Smart Ain't He and the Mikayla Weir piloted Stashes to deliver a thrilling finish.

The two battled down the straight, but only one could come out on top and the narrow win was secured with an official call just moments after the photo finish.

Kazumi, with Jake Pracey-Holmes onboard, rounded out the top three places, while Dylan Gibbons was in the saddle of Rusty Hawk and saw it finish fourth, with Rodney Northam's Dia Del Amor and Allan Denham's My Empire lagging behind after strong opening efforts on the day.