NZ HARNESS NEWS
Look out New Zealand, Dream About Me is back.
Driver Tim Williams declared the million-dollar mare was back to her best form after she narrowly won the Gr.3 Hannon Memorial at Oamaru on Sunday.
Dream About Me dug deep in the home straight to nose out runner-up, A G’s White Socks and third placegetter Captain Dolmio in a thrilling finish to the time-honoured $30,000 feature.
The six-year-old got her nose in front right at the post for Williams, and in doing so showed him she was back to her best after going winless since she taking out the 2016 Auckland Cup.
“It is just great to have her back, she felt back to her best today,’’ he said.
Williams and Dream About Me were handed good and bad luck on their way to victory.
The bad luck came early when the pair were caught in the breeze for the first lap of the race.
Alta Orlando provided them cover going out of the home straight the last time, but that put Dream About Me in a pocket when runners made three-wide moves.
Good luck came when Don Domingo dropped off the back of the leader before the turn and allowed Williams to slot his charge in to the trail behind A G’s White Socks and Ricky May.
Captain Dolmio followed her through for Nathan Williamson and the trio fought out an epic home-straight battle.
On the line Dream About Me held a head margin over A G’s White Socks with Captain Dolmio a further head away on the markers.
“On the turn I thought A G’s White Socks had me beat, to be fair, but it just shows what good order she is in,” said Williams.
Co-trainer Greg Hope, who prepares A G’s White Socks with wife Nina, was left pondering what could have been if Dream About Me did not get her slice of good fortune to land the trail behind his horse.
“He has gone super. When the mare got in to the trail behind him it was probably the difference at the finish.”
“He will go to the Canterbury Classic next.”
Captain Dolmio sprinted through behind Dream About Me and eventually found space to launch a big sprint and finish a head behind A G’s White Socks.
“He went great, Nathan just couldn’t get him in to the clear and he can be a bit tricky like that, but we were wrapped with that,’’ said trainer Robert Dunn.
Dunn produced the next three horses home behind Captain Dolmio with Alta Orlando (fourth), Letspendanitetogetha (fifth), and Billy Badger (sixth).
Fellow Dunn runner, Zadaka, followed them home in eighth.
Dunn’s five horses would all be aimed at next month’s Gr.2 Canterbury Classic, he said.
- NZ Harness News
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