Dreams Are Free wins Kurow feature

Southland pacer Dreams Are Free (Captaintreacherous) was too smart when winning the $20,000 Waitaki Hotel Kurow Cup at Oamaru today.

Trainer driver Nathan Williamson got the entire away well from the 35 metre mark and he said, “He was quick into his gear and it certainly helps to make up a bit of the handicap quite quickly.”

Travelling across the back, Williamson decided to start progressing around the field with J T Boe on his back.

“He was travelling good and the pace slackened off, so I thought I’d better get round.”

By the time Dreams Are Free had reached the winning post with a lap to run, he’d taken the lead and that left one of his main rivals J T Boe, parked.

“He was always going to follow me everywhere I went. It worked out good that I could leave him parked for the last lap.”

Turning in, Williamson loosened the reins on Dreams Are Free and he let down well to go to the line a length in advance of Borrisokane who came home nicely for second, with J T Boe battling home for third two lengths away.

“He was digging in. Borrisokane came at me really quickly. I felt over the last 50 that ‘Dreamer’ would hold him at bay.”

DREAMS ARE FREE REPLAY

Owned by Brendan Fahy and the Dreams Are Free Syndicate, the win was the talented pacer’s nineth from twenty nine starts.

This was the five year old’s first start since the end of June and he’d been to just one workout in preparation for today’s staying test.

The winning time was 3-14.1 – a mile rate of 2-00.1 with the last 800 cut out in 55 seconds.

Williamson says he and the ownership group will consider the options now. He thinks the Maurice Holmes Vase at Addington on Friday may be too close, as the horse races best fresh.

One race on the radar is the Hannon Memorial and possibly they’ll have a tilt at the New Zealand Cup.

“I spoke to Brendan after the race and he said we might as well put a nomination in (for the Cup). You’ve got to be in to win.”

Meanwhile Gore trainer Shane Matheson reached a major milestone at Oamaru today when Tua Lipa (Sweet Lou) sustained a long run and got up to win by three quarters of a length.

He was Matheson’s 100^th winner.

Tua Lipa is owned by Matheson, his partner Lisa Barrie and good stable clients Noddy and Jane Orr. It was the gelding’s seventh career win and third this season.

Matheson who owns a shearing business, has been training since 1989. His first winner was trotter Little Miss Watch at Gore in March 1991.

Millwood Nike’s half-brother Suspicious Captain (Captain Crunch) cleared maiden ranks today.

Trained by Cran and Chrissie Dalgety the three year old gelding in the hands of Kimberly Butt held on to beat Major Lazarus by three quarters of a length.

Stallion Carlton produced his fourth winner at Oamaru today when Brooks Spirit took out a non-winner trot.

Trained by Greg and Ben Hope and driven by Ben, Brooks Spirit sat parked for the entire 2600 metres and won easily by a length and a half.

All four of Carlton’s winners so far have been bred by the Hope family.

Mighty Flying Lou’s (Sweet Lou) win today further enhanced the outstanding record of his dam Fleet’s Pocket.

Of her eighteen foals, seventeen qualified and the fifteen that have raced have now won 147 races and over $1.8 million.

Trained by Laurence Hanrahan and driven by Ricky May, it was Mighty Flying Lou’s fourth win.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink