The Dream's A Reality

The Informant reports on Darci's Dream's win in Saturday's $50,000 Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes at Riccarton:

One of New Zealand's most improved fillies thrust her name into 1000 Guineas contention when Darci's Dream scored an impressive win in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes at Riccarton on Saturday.

A winner of one of her five starts at two, Darci's Dream has taken a massive step up at three with a first-up win at Taupo and Saturday's black-type success in Christchurch.

“She's improved a lot from two to three,” trainer Jason Bridgman said. “That's typical of the Darci Brahma stock. He doesn't have a lot of output at two. I think she was his only two-year-old winner last season, and that indicated that she had some ability.

“She was just a touch weak and immature racing manners-wise. We put her away and she's come back a really strong filly. She won her trial, went on to Taupo and won again there and then she did what she did on Saturday.”

Darci's Dream was back in the field as southerners Tempting Place and La Veuve set the early pace. David Walsh angled Darci's Dream out to the centre of the track at the top of the straight and she unwound powerfully and scored an authoritative win over the fast-finishing Consensus and Cryptic.

Both the first and second placegetters came out of the $12,000 three-year-old fillies' race at Taupo on August 20, in which Darci's Dream finished first and Consensus fourth. Queen Of Navarre and Tres Rapide split the pair.

Darci's Dream was bred by Te Akau's David Ellis and Karyn Fenton-Ellis, and she is raced by the Fortuna Darci's Dream Syndicate.

Bridgman said the 1000 Guineas is the obvious spring target for Darci's Dream.

“We'll probably go to the Ray Coupland Stakes at Ashburton on October 18 and then on to the 1000 Guineas,” he said.

Darci's Dream is now rated a $10 chance for the 1000 Guineas, sharing equal second favouritism with stablemate Flaming and the dual stakes winner Avisto. Favouritism lies with today's other impressive stakes winner, Gold Trail Stakes heroine O'Marilyn. Her odds were halved today from $8 to $4.