Driver Tim Williams is certain Dream About Me will strip a fitter pacer at Addington tonight than she did a week ago — he just isn’t sure whether stablemate Thefixer will be just as improved.
And the answer to that question could decide the first group race of the harness season, the $30,000 Maurice Holmes Vase, when plenty of Australian eyes will be watching with both flagged for Pryde's EasiFeed Victoria Cup tilts on October 13.
Williams will partner Dream About Me, who hasn’t won a race since the 2016 Auckland Cup but has rarely gone a bad one since either.
Last season she was dogged by bad luck and chasing Lazarus and the now six-year-old mare produced the run of the race in the first open class contest of the season at Addington last Thursday.
| Best: | Gran Chico (R5, No.3): | Stormed home last week and better drawn. Should win. |
| Finally: | Dream About Me (R6, No.2): | Hasn’t won a race for 21 months but won’t get many better chances. |
| Each way: | TijuanaTaxi (R8, No.13): |
Faces tricky handicap but beaten by open class star Great Things Happen last start. Could be a few gallopers that might help. |
Tipped by champion trainer Mark Purdon to be in need of a run, Dream About Me looked just that as she sat parked for the last 800m and was only caught late by Thefixer.
So if Dream About Me is fitter, which Williams is sure she is, then back to free-for-all conditions tonight she should win, right?
“That would seem to make sense and she will definitely be better but the thing is we don’t know how much fitter Thefixer will be too,” admits Williams.
“They both hadn’t raced for a long time heading into last week and I think reverse the runs and reverse the result.
“But we don’t really know how good Thefixer is. A couple of years ago he came off Vincent’s back and beat him in New Zealand Cup day so maybe he is a really good horse.
“So either of them could win without surprising me because these small field can provide very tactical racing.”
If Dream About Me can lead the race looks hers to lose because last season when she led it took Lazarus to beat her in the Flying Stakes at Ashburton.
One thing looks certain, an All Starts victory because as good as the opposition are it is hard to see any of them holding both the Purdon-Rasmussen stars at bay, with key rival John Dunn opting for Captain Dolmio as the best of his three chances and he was beaten after leading last week.