Grafton is the next town on the hit list for the Ben Ahrens trained Spechenka after he proved too good last time out in the Caloundra Cup.

The rising six year old is returning to career best form after a stop start series of campaigns heavily affected by injury.

He was an unfancied winner on the Sunshine Coast taking the Listed event in front of the two favourites in a real dog fight to the line.

It looked as if the favourite Tinseltown was going to run away with it halfway down the straight but leader Gold In Dubai held on gamely when he was caught.

Spechenka was the last contender to be produced with a run and he spoiled the party getting ahead of both of them up the inside.

It was a great ride by Ryan Wiggins who had him in the best spot with 200m to go.

“Ryan rode him real well, patient and didn’t expose him,” Ahrens said.

“I was a bit worried when he went back to the inside but he rode him really well.”

It could be a Listed double next Thursday with the $150,000 Grafton Cup over 2350m now well within striking distance.

The team will be hoping he improves from his run and they can get back to the level which saw him win the Group 3 Summer Cup at Randwick in December last year.

They were originally slated to return to Group level during the Brisbane Winter Carnival but the spell just didn’t go quite as smoothly as Ahrens was hoping for.

“He’s had so many setbacks and we had to keep changing course with him,” Ahrens said.

“The Brisbane Cup was the aim but we thought the Caloundra Cup would be a good consolation.

“Thankfully we preserved.

“We were close to pulling the pin on numerous occasions.

“We thought we’d take a punt and continue.

“Thank God we did.”

They other logical option would have been to stay up north and tackle the Listed Queensland Cup  across 3200m at Eagle Farm.

In the end though they decided they didn’t want to push the horse too hard and the two miles may have been too much of an ask for a horse which has suffered a wrenched fetlock, blood abnormalities and cuts to his pastern after being kicked by another horse.

“We were planning for the Queensland Cup but with all the problems he’s had he wouldn’t be right for 3200 metres,” Ahrens said.

“He spends a lot of time on the walker, works hard on the track and swims.

“He’s got a great constitution.

“I’m very lucky to have a horse like him in the stable.”

Spechenka’s career earning now total more than $370,000.

While there is as yet no news on the third placed Tisneltown, second place getter Gold In Dubai is likely to also back up in Grafton.

It would be a fantastic rematch given what happened on the Sunshine Coast and his trainer Mark Riley is keen to give him another crack.

“We weren’t sure about 2400 metres,” Riley said.

“Now we know he runs it.

“If he pulls up OK, we will go to Grafton.

“He was very gallant in defeat.

“It’s just a shame they had that little bit of rain here.

“Without that, who knows, maybe he skips away a bit on the turn.”