Trainer Mick Price says Heart Of Dreams is a stronger and more mature gelding which will help him run out the 2000 metres of Saturday’s Australian Cup at Flemington.
The Show A Heart five-year-old earned Australian Cup favouritism when he won the Group Two St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield last month.
However Heart Of Dreams hasn’t won in three tries beyond 1800m.
He finished second to Whobegotyou in the 2009 Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield, seventh to So You Think in the 2009 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley and fourth to Zipping in last year’s Australian Cup.
He was sent out favourite in the Australian Cup but went down by 1-1/2 lengths.
“He is stretched to get the 2000 metres, but every time I’ve had him before this preparation he’s been a hat rack,” Price said.
“Last preparation he was 495 kilos at his top. You couldn’t put one more gram on him.
“But this time he’s 517kg hard fit.
“He looks better, he’s going better and if ever he’s going to get it, it will be on Saturday.
“He’ll certainly be thereabouts.”
Heart Of Dreams drew barrier nine in the 15-horse field.
Precedence, out to give master trainer Bart Cummings his 14th Australian Cup, drew wide in gate 13.
The Zabeel five-year-old was runner-up in the St George and will be better suited on the spacious Flemington track over the extra 200m.
Shocking, the 2009 Melbourne Cup winner, drew gate 12 and can be expected to be a big improver at Flemington after his seventh in the St George.
Four of the Street Cry entire’s six wins have been at Flemington from the 1600m of the Makybe Diva Stakes to the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup.
The Mark Kavanagh-trained Shocking would become only the fourth Melbourne Cup winner to go on and win an Australian Cup at weight-for-age after Makybe Diva, Let’s Elope and Hyperno.
Saintly won the Australian Cup as a three-year-old before his 1996 Melbourne Cup success.
While a hind leg injury sustained just four days out from the race cruelly denied Zipping the chance to become the first back-to-back winner since Vo Rogue (1989-90), leading owner Lloyd Williams and his trainer Robert Hickmott still have three chances.
The stable will saddle up C’est La Guerre, Mourayan and Linton.
The Hickmott stable advised Racing Victoria on Tuesday that nine-year-old Zipping had sustained deep bruising to a hind leg and has been ordered to rest for two weeks by stable veterinarians.
Heart Of Dreams is $4.60 favourite with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Queen’s Cup winner Moudre at $5.50, Precedence ($6.50), Linton ($7.50) with Shocking at $9 and Group One Kingston Town Stakes winner Playing God at $10.
AAP TURF
