A return to cooler weather is expected to help sprinter Dreams Aplenty get back to his best at the Sunshine Coast metropolitan standard meeting.
The gelding hasn’t run since finishing 16th in the Sunshine Coast Cup on January 23.
Dreams Aplenty returns in Saturday’s Open Handicap (1400m) but the track holds no fear for trainer John Zielke.
“His last start had nothing to do with the track and he won his first start which was at the Sunshine Coast,” Zielke said.
“He really suffered from the heat in the summer. He had heat stroke after the Sunshine Coast Cup so we decided to put him away for the cooler months.
“He won a trial at the Gold Coast last week so I am confident he will race well and is back to his best.”
Zielke is looking at some of the big winter carnival races with Dreams Aplenty who won the Group Three Gunsynd Stakes as a three-year-old.
“I think he is back near stakes-race form but he will need to pick up some more prize money with races like the Stradbroke in mind,” Zielke said.
Tegan Harrison has picked up the ride on Dreams Aplenty at her first Saturday meeting back after an injury-enforced break.
“Tegan has been riding trackwork for me and deserves a good ride for her comeback,” Zielke said.
Apprentice Jag Guthmann-Chester will ride the Zielke-trained two-year-old Hopes Eternal before beginning a suspension out of Wednesday’s Ipswich meeting.
Guthmann-Chester was suspended for nine days for causing interference in the last race and his ban starts from Sunday.
“I scratched Hopes Eternal from Doomben recently in protest at the weights he is getting but with the claim he gets in OK on Saturday,” Zielke said.
