When Dreamforce lined up in the All Aged Stakes last year it was an afterthought, this time around the G1 sprint has been a deliberate target.
The eight-year-old’s good record over the Randwick 1400 metre circuit – the scene of his two Tramway Stakes victories – has prompted trainer John Thompson to set him for the final major of The Championships.
Twelve months ago, Dreamforce tackled the race after a busy autumn and finished second last.
On Saturday, he heads there at his third campaign run having finished a solid first-up fifth in the Canterbury Stakes and a narrow second in the George Ryder.
“We gave him a little freshen up after that and he is only going into this race third up, which is different to previous years when we’ve gone to it as an afterthought,” Thompson said.
“This year, we’ve targeted the race a little bit more.
“He is brilliant at the 1400 at Randwick, hopefully tomorrow is no different.”
Dreamforce has the outside alley in the field of 13 and Thompson says that doesn’t pose a major disadvantage given the gelding’s natural gate speed.
He will also saddle up Cuba and More Prophets in support races, the former returning from a hit-and-run raid to Melbourne that didn’t go as planned.
“Taking a front-running horse to Caulfield is normally the right thing to do but on that day, everything was swooping down the outside,” Thompson said.
“He led and they attacked him from the 1000 metre mark and he went way too quick and just stopped, being first up.
“He’s going well, it’s just a matter of him running up to his best.”
Group placed behind Probabeel last spring, Cuba is at $61 while Dreamforce is a $13 chance.
