Brisbane’s leading apprentice Tiffani Brooker has given the credit to her mount Dreams Aplenty after winning the second heat of the National Apprentices series at Eagle Farm.
Wednesday’s race drew apprentice jockeys from across Australia and Brooker’s win followed Brooke Stower’s victory in the race last year on Fleur D’Orage.
Brooker allowed Dreams Aplenty ($1.90) to cross the field from the outside barrier and lead after 600m.
Dreams Aplenty, who ran second in the Group Two BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes last winter, was too good for the Class Three Plate field winning by 2-1/4 lengths from All That Is ($51) ridden by Perth’s Randy Tan.
Tasmania’s Hayley McCarthy was third 1-1/4 lengths back on Mishani Sleuth ($7.50).
Brooker is leading the Brisbane apprentices’ premiership on 20 wins for the season while it was her 127th career victory.
“Dreams A Plenty is obviously a good horse,” Brooker said.
“In fact he was the best horse in the race. He didn’t begin as well as I would have liked but he worked his way to the lead and was too strong.”
Trainer John Zielke thought so much of Dreams Aplenty he took the gelding to Flemington in the spring for the Danehill Stakes.
“He was injured in the run and we had to come home,” Zielke said.
“This time we will work him along slowly with his first target probably the Weetwood Handicap in Toowoomba on April 8.
“Nozi Tomizawa who has won a Weetwood as a jockey came to me and said the way Dreams Aplenty works up the hill at Toowoomba he would be ideal for the Weetwood.”
“We just need some more prize money and we could sneak into the Weetwood on a light weight.”
Zielke is also looking at the three-year-old races up to 1600m in the winter for Dreams Aplenty.
Jeff Lloyd is a long way from his apprenticeship with the veteran inching ever closer to Chris Munce’s Brisbane metropolitan jockeys’ record of 103 winners with his 98th success for the season on Novative ($2.80) at the meeting.
The win continued trainer Ben Currie’s success with horses bought from Darley dispersal sales.
