TRAINER EYES OFF A BOXING DAY GIFT
CONNEWARRE trainer Andrew Campbell is hopeful gelding Dreams Are Made Of can deliver some festive cheer at Geelong’s Boxing Day race meeting.
The six-year-old, homebred by Michelle Denham, will step up in distance from 1400m to contest the $22,000 Newcomb Sand and Soil Supplies Handicap (1715m).
Campbell was looking for a strong showing, but admitted he wasn’t sure if Dreams Are Made Of would get the trip.
“The distance is the biggest query for him. The mile, no problems, 1700m, who knows?” Campbell said.
“It’s the second time we’ve tried to get him out over a bit of ground. The first time was a year or so ago and he just wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t physically capable of it.
“So we thought we’d try again and we’re hopeful. He is going well enough.
“Hopefully it’s not too good a field. He is just a horse and he is doing as good as he can.”
Bill Egan has been booked to ride Dreams Are Made Of from barrier three.
“It (the draw) is pretty irrelevant to him,” Campbell said.
“We will ride him quietly to help him get the trip. I think you have to (do that) if you’re a little bit concerned.
“Before he wouldn’t relax and he wouldn’t breathe and he’d get it all wrong. But now he’s going better.
“I think I’ve taken worse chances to the races.”
Connections have taken their time with Dreams Are Made Of, with the six-year-old only having his 14th career start at Geelong.
He has already won $22,000 prizemoney in his career and Campbell said another win would be a massive boost for the horse’s owners.
“You’d get to the races and he’d worry himself and he wouldn’t settle, so we just kept throwing him out in the paddock,” Campbell said.
“He was bred locally by Michelle Denham and we just leased him out of the paddock. He wasn’t exactly an expensive horse, in fact he was a very cheap horse.
“Most of them (the owners) are family members and a couple of friends. I said, ‘Look, I think we can win a couple of (benchmark) 58s and whatnot’.
“I hope he brightens people’s Christmas … mine in particular. Any cheque from him will do.”
MEANWHILE, Geelong trainer Leon Corstens is targeting the summer months with his stable of stars.
Corstens, who trains with his son, Troy, has four horses accepted to run at Geelong today.
Progressive galloper Fort Knox will contest a maiden over 1312m, while Scamper comes up against Dreams Are Made Of in the 1715m race.
Smart speedster Graphic Content looks well placed in the $22,000 McGrath Estate Agents Class 1 Handicap (1212m), as does Electric Miss in a maiden over the same distance.
Corstens said the summer was an ideal time for their stable to pick up some good prizemoney as the young team of horses showed promise.