Thanks to his efforts – along with an army of on-the-ground volunteers and outsiders making cash donations – the small track at Canni Creek will be able to host the centrepiece of its racing year, the Buchan Cup, on February 15.

But Dunkley wants to do still more, and he is hoping the All-Star Mile, with its enormous prizemoney and burgeoning public interest, may be the vehicle through which he can boost bushfire funding in a region devastated by the blazes that tore through its countryside and townships.

Dunkley is also hoping thunderstorms and showers dominate the weather reports in early March. Jungle Edge is a horse who revels in soft and heavy going.

Now a nine-year-old, the Mick Bell-trained Jungle Edge won at a big price at Caulfield last Saturday ($21) when winning over 1000 metres, loving the rain-softened ground after a deluge swept Melbourne.

And it was that success that gave Dunkley the idea that he might be worth a try at the All-Star Mile after watching the race on television, having been busy at the Buchan track helping repair it so that its Cup meeting can go ahead.

"We were having a working bee and it was 42 degrees so I wasn't expecting the ground to suit him at Caulfield but I kept getting regular text messages through the day telling me that it was raining and that the ground forecast kept getting softer, from a good four, to five, to six and then softer still.

"I managed to get my $10 each-way on him at $61 before he shortened in price, so that was great. But I still wasn't that confident. I got home about 20 minutes before the race after we had finished fixing up the track and switched on the TV and was delighted to see him win.

"I got very excited about it, and then I thought about the All-Star Mile and how great it would be to get extra votes for him to get a run and to just add to the bushfire monies.''

Jungle Edge, a son of Dubawi, has won 17 of his 75 starts but has yet to win beyond 1400 metres, the bulk of his successes coming at 1200 metres or less.  His record on soft or heavy tracks is phenomenal with all 17 of his wins coming on affected ground.

"I am mindful people might think we were stupid even considering it. But if we got a very wet week and the tracks became very soft then ... who knows. And it's all for a great cause," said Dunkley.