The latest season saw a continuation of excellence in the pacing broodmare ranks which were acknowledged at the annual NZB Standardbred Harness Racing Awards evening held at Spectators Bar and Bistro, Addington Raceway on Monday 14 September 2020.
Christian Dreamer was named Pacing Broodmare of the Year primarily as a result of the efforts of her Bettors Delight filly Amazing Dream’s stellar three year old season and to a lesser extent, Lets Chase The Dream’s continued winning progress, currently in North America. The intervention of COVID 19 racing restrictions possibly put pay to Amazing Dream’s opportunities and aspirations for claiming the Pacer of Year Award but even so she was a principal contender.
CHRISTIAN DREAMER (2007f Christian Cullen/Dreamy Atom; Kate by Highland Chief, U301) : unraced seventh foal, qualified 2:09.9; seven foals/one died, four raced, all winners plus qualifier, all sub two minutes, one in sub 1:50. Bred by and all foals bred by Vin and Daphne Devery.
| DOB | FOAL/WINS BY LOCATION | NZ | AU | NA | G/T | MR | $ |
| 2012 | Lets Chase The Dream (c Bettors Delight) | 10 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 1:49.9 | 602,901 |
| 2014 | Catch the Dream (g Mach Three) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:59.8 | 20,345 |
| 2015 | Dream Major (f Art Major) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:59.7 | 8,120 |
| 2016 | Amazing Dream (f Bettors Delight) | 12 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1:53.3 | 643,949 |
| Total foals : | 25 | 6 | 9 | 40 | $1.275m+ |
** Conversion: $A1=$US1=$NZ1
Invercargill electrician and hobby trainer Vin Devery has a record second only to Mark Purdon (seven) with four victories in the 2yo fillies Leonard Memorial (Cheviot), three of whom he bred with wife Daphne – Dreamy Atom, Happy Golucky, Western Dream, Natal Franco (breeders Spreydon Lodge). Added to this are a number of NZ Age Group Horse of the Year Awards including – 2f : Dreamy Atom; 2c&g : (Lets) Chase the Dream; 2f/3f : Western Dream; 2yo Pacer of Year and 2c&g/3yo Pacer of Year and 3c&g : Honkin Vision; latest being Amazing Dream 3yo filly 2020; plus numerous breeding and ownership credits. Recently deceased Honkin Vision was a notable achiever for the Devery’s.
Pacing Broodmare of Year, Christian Dreamer was the seventh foal bred by the Devery’s from Dreamy Atom. Well-bred but highly strung, unraced after qualifying as an early four year old, she is the dam of six live foals with all four that have raced being winners plus a further qualifier. The Devery’s obviously saw Christian Dreamer’s value as a broodmare rather than a racehorse.
Christian Dreamers foals to date are :
(Lets) Chase the Dream, her first foal from a maternal family with a line-up of sires prior to Bettors Delight consisting of Christian Cullen, Sokys Atom and Lumber Dream, produced a NZ Two Year colt/gelding of the Year in 2015. Sold to Jean Feiss for $53,500, he was the winner of six of nine starts at two (Sapling Stakes; Group One’s Cardigan Bay/Sires Stakes) although beaten into third by Lazarus in the Jewels. At three, a further three wins resulted (Sires Stakes heat, Waikato Guineas, WA Derby prelude – second Final) plus seconds to Lazarus in Sires Stakes and Yearling Sales Finals and GN Derby.
Back from Australia following WA Derby and after finishing ninth in the Jewels to Heaven Rocks, he started his four year old career with a win on Show Day during the 2016 NZ Cup carnival. A third in the Methven Green Mile (grass) preceded his final NZ win in the Group Two Cambridge 4/5yo Futurity. A brief Australian trip consisting of four starts for two wins at Menangle including the Group Two Brian Hancock Cup preceded a final NZ campaign of three starts concluding with a second in the Rangiora Classic.
Off to Australia permanently after that as a five year old, Lets Chase The Dream tallied another two Western Australian wins before being exported to North America in September 2018. At this stage, he had recorded fifteen Australasian victories with best mile rates of 1:53.2NZ and 1:49.9AUS (Menangle).
In North America, Lets Chase The Dream has posted nine victories (two in 2020) in the past two years with a best mile of 1:50.1US that brings his total to twenty four wins world-wide for stakes exceeding $600,000.
Catch the Dream, winner of two races from twelve starts, both as a four year old at Alexandra Park (1:59.8) and Manawatu Raceway for trainer Brent Mangos.
Drum Major, winner of first of only two starts as a three year old at Alexandra Park for trainer Barry Purdon who had big expectations of him before he broke down.
Amazing Dream, as the full sister to (Lets) Chase The Dream it was hardly surprising that Jean Feiss should return to make another astute purchase ($77,500) from the Devery line-up at the 2018 Christchurch sales. Again handed to the Purdon/Rasmussen All Stars stables, Amazing Dream spent much of her two year of season playing second fiddle to 2yo Filly of the Year in Adore Me’s first foal Sweet On Me. Her eight starts however yielded three wins (Group One Caduceus Club Fillies, Yearling Sales series [1:54.9, 1980m], NZSS heat) with a second placing in the Sires Stakes Fillies final and third in the Delightful Lady Classic.
Amazing Dream’s NZ three year old career (eight wins from nine starts) commenced with a first up victory at Addington followed by an NZSS heat win while she really signalled her presence with a third consecutive victory from the outside barrier of nine on NZ Cup Day at Addington against older horses in a 1:56.4MR for 1980m. Further victories followed in four Group One events – Caduceus Club Ladyship Stakes, NZSS 3yo Fillies Final, GN Oaks/Derby double with the Yearling Sales series thrown in for good measure. Amazing Dream became just the second filly to achieve the Great Northern Oaks/Derby double since the Kevin Holmes trained and driven Rippers Delight did so in 1975.
At the end of her NZ campaign as a result of the COVID 19 racing lockdown which deprived her of contesting further Group One age group races such as NZ Derby, Nevele R Fillies, NZ Oaks and Harness Jewels, Amazing Dream’s record stood at eighteen starts for eleven wins (six Addington, five Alexandra Park; five Group Ones), $625,085, 1:54.9, 1980m at two.
Named Three Year Old Filly of the Year at the HRNZ Awards, Amazing Dream was in the midst of an Australian campaign in Queensland. Second in her first race in late August after a 4½ month break between starts, she won her next Albion Park start in a career best 1:53.3MR (1660m). In her first NZ four year old start she won a Nevele R Fillies series heat at Addington in readiness for a tilt at the rescheduled Nevele R Fillies final on NZ Cup Day 2020.
Established two NZ records at 1980mM 2:21.4 (2yo fillies) and 2700mM 3:16.2 (3yo fillies/mares) which together with her other achievements rate her as one of the best ever pacing fillies in NZ history.
Special Dream (2017 Bettors Delight gelding), unraced qualifier in 2:01.7 in February 2020 for Kirk Larsen and Dream Breaker, unraced two year Art Major colt. Christian Dreamer lost a full sister to Amazing Dream while foaling and has had trouble getting back into foal thus leaving her empty for past two years.
Christian Dreamer is a member of the North American family of Kate by Highland Chief (U301) with its NZ connection commencing when Etienne Le Lievre imported Berthabell in 1914. Berthabell’s female progeny included six daughters all of whom bred on leaving large families. Many of Berthabell’s male progeny were successful on the track and in the breeding barn. They included dual NZ Cup winner Peter Bingen (also NZFFA), NZ FFA winner Great Bingen, Auckland Cup/GN Derby winner Great Parrish – all leading sires and GN Derby winner Great Peter.
From Berthabell’s daughter Bell Bingen, the female tail line progressed through her unraced daughter Belita, unraced daughter Neferiti and her winning daughter Egyptian Queen who left Fallacy Queen to Christian Dreamer’s fourth dam Facetious (four wins, 2:08.1, Winton Hcp). It was in the mid-nineteen seventies that the Devery’s entered the breeding picture of NZ’s latest Pacing Broodmare of the Year providing a Southland connection over the past five decades.
The Devery brothers Allan (trainer), Ray and Vin formed a syndicate to lease the handy Johnny Globe mare Facetious from Bangie Booth of Nightcaps, Vin’s first official racing interest and foundation mare. Facetious third foal was inaugural Sires Stakes Final winner Arveeae by Lumber Dream while other foals included Facsimile (Taranaki Breeders Stakes) and unraced Ravinalan.
Third dam Ravinalan left three winners and while somewhat disappointing at stud she did leave the Devery’s Christian Dreamer’s grand dam Lumber Lie who qualified for Denice Swain at Ashburton in April 1990. Unraced, Lumber Lie was the dam of eight foals, four of some significance, the first being Sokys Atom filly Dreamy Atom (refer below).
Lumber Lie’s fourth foal was (My) Happy Golucky (Cameleon), the second Devery winner of the Leonard Memorial (Rangiora grass track) won as a maiden at her third start, going onto win a further eight races in Australia (2:00.1AUS, $49,313). Unraced Electrify (Holmes Hanover) left Truer Memorial winner Lochinver (1:52.2, $302,448), grand dam of Tanaka Eagle (1:54.7, $262,291) and Islay 1:52.4US. Lumber Lie’s final foal and third winner was Holmes Hanover gelding Costalot, winner of eight in NZ (Hawera/Kumeu Country Cups) and 1:54.3US in North America.
Christian Dreamer’s dam Dreamy Atom, Lumber Lie’s first foal by Sokys Atom was a wonderful filly pacer and broodmare. The winner of six from twenty one starts (1:59.2, $108,810) for trainer Vin Devery including the first of four Leonard Memorial winners for him. This victory was after winning her first two career 2yo starts in Southland and a fourth in the Kindergarten Stakes. Her fourth two year victory in the NZSS – 2f final at Addington on Anzac Day 1994 was recorded in her final season’s start. Named and awarded 1994 2yo Filly Pacer of the Year.
At three Dreamy Atom’ two victories were at Invercargill and in the Sire Stakes three year old fillies final at Alexandra Park. Retired after a brief four year old stint with Barry Purdon in Auckland, she set about making her mark in the broodmare barn.
Aside from Christian Dreamer, among Dreamy Atom’s twelve foals there are another six significant foals – these being :
Western Dream (Badlands Hanover filly) – winner of thirteen in NZ/one AUS, 1:56.3NZ, 2:00.2AUS, $332,895. As a two year old she won her first five starts, four for Vin Devery including NZSS – 2f heat, Leonard Memorial (third for Devery’s), Caduceus Club Southland with Devery training before Tony Herlihy handled her for three starts as trainer for two successes including Group One Caduceus Club Classic. Named and awarded 2yo Filly Pacer of the Year honours at season’s end.
A further seven wins at three in NZ, the first three in consecutive starts, NZSS – 3f heat, Ladyship Stakes and NZSS – 3f Final were followed by a fifth in GN Oaks (Tosti Girl). Vin Devery trained her for the first win before she was sent north to Tony Herlihy to prepare and drive. Success in two Nevele R Fillies heats at Cambridge preceded dual Group One victories at Addington in the NZ Oaks and Nevele R Fillies Final. NZ stake earnings at three totalled $228,379 before Western Dream travelled to Australia for the Breeders Crown. A heat winner at Kilmore, was followed by fourth in her semi-final and seventh in the final. Western Dream was awarded 3yo Filly Pacer of the year honours. After a few starts at four without success she was retired to the breeding barn.
Western Dream was to produce seven foals for the Deverys, the last three of which were by embryo transfer. With five to race for the perfect five winners record, Western Dream’s main claim to breeding fame rests with her first foal, the Christian Cullen gelding “Western Cullen”. After being a buy back at the sales for the Deverys, he was gelded and sold to Perth owners P & T Poli. Western Cullen had five starts in NZ for Mark Purdon and Grant Payne for two victories in NZSS – 2 heat and Yearling Sales final plus placed second in NZSS – 2 final and thirds in Welcome Stakes and Harness Jewels (Fly Like An Eagle).
On arrival in Western Australia, Western Cullen went onto record a further seventeen victories including first start win in the two year old Group One Golden Slipper, one of nine wins at Gloucester Park. His distinguished career included a fourth in the WA Derby and sixth in Golden Nugget, amassing $447,536 in stakes and a best mile rating of 1:55.6 (1684m, Pinjarra at three).
Happy Dreamer (Son of Afella filly) – eight NA wins, 1:57.0US, $96,916
Dream Royale (Beach Towel filly) – winner in NZ, fourteen Queensland wins (1:56.3; Quuensland Ladyship, Queen Of Hearts mares races) and seven in North America (1:53.3, $145,068); dam of three winners in Australia including Soho Lennon, seventeen AUS (thirteen Gloucester Park, WA Nights of Thunder)/thirty NA wins, 1:51.0US, $679,802
Dreamy Lover (Artiscape filly) – non winning pacer, dam of Western Delight, three NZ wins, 1:51.1US, $81,294
Exotic Stride (Badlands Hanover filly) – winner in Australia, 2:05.3; dam of two winners including Real Stride, fifteen NSW wins, 1:51.3, $158,480
Tisadream (Bettors Delight gelding) – her second last foal conceived when Dreamy Atom had entered her twenties, is Dreamy Atom’s fastest progeny with a 1:50.0 credit at 5/8ths Plainridge racecourse, USA. Winner of thirteen in Western Australia (1:54.6AUS) and ten in North America ($192,281)
Peter Craig
14 October 2020
** originally published in Spring edition of Breeding Matters (NZSBA publication) – updated stats.
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