What’s next for Dreams Are Free?

After running a gallant third in Sunday’s Ace Of Spades, harness racing pacer Dreams Are Free (Captaintreacherous) has returned home to Branxholme.

“He’s come through the race well and seems to have travelled home pretty well. It was his first trip away and he handled it well,” trainer Nathan Williamson said.

Sunday’s race turned into a tactical affair and Williamson said he didn’t want to push his colt too hard off the gate.

“He’s not one I wanted to fire up or shake the reins at too early. If he’d sat parked he would have over raced. They wandered through the middle half in 63 but that wouldn’t have been the case if I’d sat parked. The hammer would have been down I would have had to do a lot of work.”

When reviewing Dreams Are Free’s closing sectionals Williamson was impressed, and the run reinforced his opinion of the two year old.

“It proved that he was right up to it. He’s a special horse so let’s keep looking after him.”

So, what’s next for the exciting youngster?

“The original plan was to give him a two week break and come back for the Southern Supremacy in February, March. But there’s a nice race for him at Invercargill next week. That would be in doubt at the moment, but we’ll see how he is and have a good catch up with Brendan (Fahy) and Jimmy (Sinclair).”

Long term, a trip to Auckland could be on the cards with races like the Harness Millions and Great Northern Derby.

“He’s not quite as adept at going that way just yet. He does a lot of work that way but he isn’t quite as smooth. But there’s time for him to practice. Those races could be an option but I’m leaning towards the Southern Supremacy and the Sires Stakes. Both are in the South Island and the Supremacy is on our home turf.”

Meanwhile Williamson’s highly accessed pacer Sand Wave (Somebeachsomewhere) is getting set to return to the races. The rising five year old stallion last raced in the Winton Cup in April.

“He’s going to trial on the 21^st at Winton and then go to the Gore Cup. Depending on how he is we could go to Omakau (2^nd January) or wait and go to Northern Southland (18^th January).”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink