Dream Comes True showed he has really turned the corner since moving to trainer Daniel Meagher’s yard after he notched his third win in five starts for the Australian handler on Friday night.
Taking up the running from his low draw, the former Mark Walker-trained galloper (for whom he scored once) travelled well within his own steam under Meagher’s apprentice jockey Chin Chee Seng before going for broke upon straightening up.
The swoopers were spread across the track with Grey Falcon (Nurshahril Nordin), favourite Siam Sapphire (Manoel Nunes) and Lucky Stride (Derreck David) sneaking up along the rails, shaping up as the more likely to topple Dream Comes True.
But there was to be no nightmarish end as Dream Comes True ($24) kept digging deep down to stave off the stinging challenge from Lucky Stride and prevail by half-a-length at the wire. Siam Sapphire ran third another 1 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 5.21secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.
Meagher, who is enjoying a fine season being already at his 28th winner, heaped praise on both horse and rider.
“It was a gutsy win from the horse and a great ride from CS,” said the young conditioner.
“This horse has had a lot of issues, and the key to him is to keep him fresh and space his runs. I’m very glad to see him win three out of five for me, and I hope to just keep him sound and happy.
“CS rode him beautifully. He is riding with great confidence at the moment, and I will keep putting him on this type of horse that suits him.”
With that fourth win from 10 starts, the Alamosa four-year-old has brought his stakes earnings past the $130,000 mark for his owner Arunachalam Gnanaprakasam.
