Kerryn dares to dream

A filly passed in at the yearling sales for $12,000 and a harness racing driver with three broken vertebrae is shaping as the combination to beat in next week’s Group 1 $150,000 Art Major Vicbred Super Series (2YO Fillies) Final.

The unbeaten Emma Stewart trained filly Draw A Dream (He’s Watching) and the world champion reinswoman Kerryn Manning trounced their rivals in the second semi-final of the Series at Melton.

Draw A Dream made a mid-race move to join the leader and $2.10 favorite Vague Beauty before surging to the lead around the home turn and the daughter of Hes Watching bounded away in the home straight to score by 28 metres from Vivacious Stride in a mile rate of 1:55.8.

DRAW A DREAM REPLAY

Manning is still nursing her injured back, legacy of a fall at the Horsham trials six weeks ago.

“I kept driving that day and drove three winners but my back wasn’t getting any better so they sent me to hospital for x-rays which showed that I had cracked three vertebrae,” Manning said.

Manning admits it will take a bit to prise her out of the sulky behind Draw A Dream.

“She’s only tiny but really neatly put together and she’s still a bit green at times but she is learning all the time,” she said.

“She is very fast and fairly strong as well – not many went better than the way she went tonight and on that she should be hard to beat in the Final.The winner is owned by successful Victorian based breeder Bruce Edward and is out of his foundation broodmare Illustrator.

“I paid $30,000 for Illustrator as a yearling and she won one race but as a broodmare she has left seven winners and she is still going strong at 22,” Edward said.

“I took Draw A Dream to the sales but nobody wanted her so I brought her home and this year I took her half-brother to the sales and he was passed in for $12,000 as well,  so I’ve now got him at home,” he said.

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink