LONG LIVE THE KING

Stayer returns from deathbed for tilt at Spring Carnival glory

IN the 72 hours following last year’s Cox Plate, Cairns builder Bill Anderson thought he had seen the last of his investment in stayer Kings Will Dream.

The popular Far North owner, who has a 10 per cent share in the gelding, was devastated to see the chestnut break down with a pelvic injury, in what was likely to be his last ever trip to the races.

In the space of 12 months, Kings Will Dream has gone from his deathbed to returning to be one of the stars of the Victorian Spring Carnival.

Kings Will Dream won Saturday’s Turnbull Stakes at Flemington, giving jockey Jye McNeil his first Group 1 win, with owners now targeting either the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 26 or the Caulfield Cup, a week before.

A big-time feature across the Spring would be excellent for Anderson, but he is overjoyed that the horse was able to live on, regardless if he ever made it back to race day.

“None of us thought he would come back to race as in the days after, the vet said he could die any time in the first 72 hours,” Anderson said.

“By the time he got to the vet, he was almost out of blood and the vet worked it out pretty quickly and got a clogging agent into him.

“We kept being told the horse could die at any point and thankfully he did not.

“At that stage, we never thought he would race again, but we wanted to make sure the horse survived and he could live on.”

Last year, Kings Will Dream, then trained by Darren Weir, was retired from the Cox Plate after 500m suffering a pelvic injury that required the gelding to undergo surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

Following his long rehab, the six-year-old has been transferred to the stable of champion trainer Chris Waller.

As late as yesterday afternoon, Anderson and connections were still tossing up whether to target the Cox Plate or Caulfield Cup.

“I’d have to say at the moment that he’s more likely to go to the Caulfield Cup than the Cox Plate,” fellow owner Brae Sokolski said on Melbourne radio about Turnbull winner Kings Will Dream.

Regardless, the Cairnsbased owner is stoked to see his horse back fit and firing.

“Third run back from a spell, he was ready to go, I was not confident he would win it but once he got that break in running, I knew he could win it as he has a great sprint on him,” Anderson said.

“He has proven himself that he is now 100 per cent and we will press on. He has had a torrid time the poor bugger.”

Anderson has achieved success in the North, winning the Cairns Amateurs with Tanaka in 2007.