Dubai: The British Champions Sprint, the sprint-category final of the British Champions Series, is on the radar for Dream Of Dreams following his Group 1 breakthrough win at Haydock Park in the UK on Saturday.
Ridden by champion jockey Oisin Murphy for Derby-winning owner and Dubai businessman Saeed Suhail, Dream Of Dreams may have drifted across the soft ground in the closing stages of the six-furlong contest, but nonetheless stuck to his task for a length-and-a-quarter victory.
Glen Shiel, the 25-1 long shot, on whom in-form jockey Hollie Doyle was having her first British Group 1 ride, finished second, with Golden Horde, the Commonwealth Cup winner at Royal Ascot earlier this season, was a neck further back in third.
Dream Of Dreams was continuing his upward curve following his Group 2 victory in Newbury’s Hungerford Stakes last month. He has also run with credit in Ascot’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes in the last two editions.
A six-year-old by Dream Ahead, Dubai Derby-winning owner/breeder Khalifa Bin Dasmal’s top sprinter, Dream Of Dreams gifted trainer Sir Michael Stoute with his third success in the Sprint Cup after a gap of 33 years since Green Desert won the race back in 1980.
Philip Robinson, representing winning owner Saeed Suhail, told ITV Racing: “He’s just all of a sudden improved. The gelding operation has helped, without a shadow of a doubt. His mind is in the job. He’s a different horse now and I think Sir Michael’s big trick with him is to keep him fresh and he’s giving him plenty of time between races. He’s thriving. He’s discovering how easy it is, now he’s got his confidence. Onwards and upwards.”
Robinson added: “Champions Day (Qipco British Champions Sprint) is very possible. I think that will probably be his next target.”
Meanwhile, John Gosden’s outstanding mare, Enable, showed herself to be in strong form when recording a seven-length victory in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton Park, as she completed her preparations as she bids for a historic third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victory next month.
“All roads lead to Longchamp — she felt good,” an ebullient winning jockey Frankie Dettori said. “She did that all by herself, so it can get a bit monotonous, but I’m very pleased with her. We came here to do the job — she was striding out well, and it was a no-contest really. The dream is still alive.”
Gosden added: “She did it very nicely, very smoothly. She will have a nice easy 10 days and then we will build up to the Arc. She is a wiser filly now and a six-year-old mare is different to a three-year-old filly. She is robust and she does have that mental strength. The great tennis players get to that fifth set and when they are two sets all it is mental strength that wins it above anything else.
“She will battle it out with anyone and you know you are in a fight with her. We have got tons of respect for the Oaks winner (Love) who is a brilliant filly and is getting the weight allowance Enable did when she was that age.”
