Toowoomba gelding Dreams Aplenty has confirmed his rating as a tough fighter when he got up off the canvas to win the Group Three Gunsynd Classic at Eagle Farm.
Dreams Aplenty was sent out at $2.30 with luxbet.com went to his usual position in the lead from the jump but on the home turn was joined by Violate ($5.50) who looked certain to go straight past him.
But Dreams Aplenty refused to give in and fought the full length of the straight before winning the 1600m-race by a nose.
His jubilant trainer John Zielke declared Dreams Aplenty was the toughest horse he had trained.
“You bring a boxer to a fight not a boy. What a show of guts. He was gone five times but kept on fighting,” Zielke said.
Dreams APlenty has now won four races in a row and will have two more runs for the winter in the Queensland Guineas and then the Sunshine Coast Guineas in June.
“He has had some tough runs at 1600 metres and I don’t want to knock him about,” Zielke said.
“He will let me know when he is ready to have a rest but at this stage the Guineas races are on the cards.”
Apprentice Tiffani Brooker scored her first stakes win on Dreams Aplenty and declared him her favourite horse.
“This horse just never knows when it is beaten. But I also want to thank John for putting me on when I can’t use my allowance,” Brooker said.
Larry Cassidy who rode Violate said he was sure he was going to win.
“I thought I would put some pressure on the leader but the other horse just wouldn’t lay down,” Cassidy said.
Trainer Kelly Schweida will also set Oink for the Queensland Guineas after his win in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Hcp (1300m).
“It was a great effort to win first-up with 59 kilos on a soft track. He is tough little bloke and I think there might be a good race in the winter for him,” Schweida said.
“We will look at races like the Queensland Guineas for him.”
Oink is owned by several members and friends of the late jockey Tim Bell.
“It is always a special occasion when Oink wins because of Tim,” Schweida said.
