Kilmore Cup next target for Amazing Dream

Star mare Amazing Dream will resume in Friday week’s $80,000 Group 2 Kilmore Cup.

It’s the only lead-up run she will have before chasing her 10th Group 1 win in the $300,000 Victoria Cup at Melton on October 9. The Auckland Cup winner is also nominated for the IRT New Zealand Cup, though a final decision on whether she’ll be at Addington on Tuesday, November 9 has yet to be made.

Trainer Nathan Purdon confirmed the plans after Amazing Dream’s sparkling trial win at Melton last Monday night.

“She seemed great at home and Anthony (Butt, driver) said she felt like she was ready to race,” he said. “Her work at home has been at least as good as it was in Queensland and she looks better after the few weeks she had out.”

Amazing Dream (Bettor’s Delight) began well then took a sit on another star mare, Maajida, before dashing through the sprint lane in closing splits of 56.3 and 26.6sec to win the trial by 1.5m in a 1min59.3sec mile rate for 2240m.

New stablemate American Dealer (American Ideal) was given even more of a searching workout against some open-class pacing stars at last Monday’s trials.

“Anthony (Butt) said one of the best parts was how much gate speed he showed. He said he felt sharper at the start than did when he was in Queensland and we know how important gate speed is,” Purdon said.

American Dealer led the trial from gate six, sat on Group 1-winning mare Techys Angel and used the sprint lane to whiz through and beat her comfortably in a 1min57.8sec mile rate for 2240m. The closing splits were 55.8 and 27.5sec.

“He’ll go to Kilmore Friday week, too,” Purdon said. “There’s the Reg Withers Classic for him and it’ll mean racing three weeks in a row, but that doesn’t bother him as he showed in Queensland. He seems to thrive on it.”

American Dealer has the Victoria Derby heats on October 2 and final a week later.

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David Moran is a man in demand.

While his own stable star Lochinvar Art is sidelined indefinitely and starting stud duties during his rehab, Moran is driving a plethora of stars for the powerhouse Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable.

This week’s highlight is getting back aboard brilliant three-year-old filly Ladies In Red in her seventh clash with brilliant stablemate Tough Tilly.

Ladies In Red holds a 5-1 advantage, but Tough Tilly did beat her when they last met in the Group 1 Vicbred final on New Year’s Eve.

Ladies In Red (Mach Three) had a long spell after that and returned with a sparkling Ballarat win on September 2.

“She felt a bit lazy at times, but that’s just her. When I said go, she switched on and put the race away quickly,” Moran said.

“I’m sure she’ll be improved by the run … she’s some sort of filly.

“We’ve drawn the outside (gate seven) and Tough Tilly is off the back (eight) so I’ll have to push forward to stay in front of her and see if I can find the lead.”

Moran will also drive Victoria Cup hopeful Mach Dan in Saturday night’s Gammalite free-for-all for Stewart and Tonkin.

“He’ll back-up in the Kilmore Cup next week if he goes as well as expected at Ballarat,” Moran said.

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Two of Australia’s most exciting trotters Majestuoso and Pink Galahs clash in the Group 3 Shepparton Trotters’ Cup on Friday night.

Despite drawing the outside back row barriers – Pink Galahs (12) and Majestuoso (13) – they look the standouts ahead of Alison and Chris Alford’s talented mare Sleepee (gate nine).

Majestuoso has the recent fitness edge with two wins from four runs this campaign, while Pink Galahs is resuming from a short break after a hugely successful Queensland Winter campaign where she raced four times for three wins and a third.

By Adam Hamilton