German import Poetic Dream stunned the Lindsay Park Team with a sizzling display in an 800m jump out at Flemington this morning and could be included in the stable’s 2018 Cox Plate nominations.
Winx, above, is the short priced favourite for the 2018 Cox Plate at The Valley. Photo by Steve Hart.
Lindsay Park’s head trainer David Hayes was very surprised with the speed out the gates Poetic Dream displayed before he went to run away from his rivals over the concluding stages of the jump out with the blinkers on.
Hayes said that Poetic Dream would be initially set for the Group 1 $500,000 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 13 and the Group 1 $5m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 27 could also be on the agenda.
“We’re hoping that he could maybe run in maybe a Toorak and then after that you can dare to dream because he was bought to be a 2000-metre horse,” Hayes told racing.com.
Jockey Andrew Mallyon couldn’t hold Poetic Dream any slower and Hayes said the blinkers really switched on the four year old import.
“Poetic Dream took us by surprise with how brilliantly he trialled,” Hayes said.
“(Andrew) Mallyon was shocked as well, it was a brilliant effort.
“I can promise he wasn’t trying.
“He wore blinkers today and they are obviously the key to him because they take him from a good horse to a very good horse.
“He’ll never wear blinkers unless he’s in a race because he’s obviously very special in them.”
Hayes will now give Poetic Dream a trial down the Flemington straight to familiarise the stallion with the straight course before running first up in the Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on August 11.
“We’ll probably trial him at Flemington down the straight next, not to trial but to use it as a gallop on the course proper because he’s going to run in the Aurie’s Star Handicap,” Hayes said.
“If you saw his (German 2000) Guineas win, he came from last and that’s what really caught my eye.”
“It was quite the opposite of what we saw this morning so he’s definitely developed a lot of speed since he’s been in Australia.
Poetic Dream, has had one run in Australia for a fifth to Nozomi in the Group 3 $150,000 Autumn Handicap (1400m) at Flemington during the 2018 Melbourne Autumn Carnival but was the winner of the Group 2 €153,000 German 2000 Guineas (1609m) at Colonge in Germany in May, 2017.
Nominations for the 2018 Ladbrokes Cox Plate close at 12 noon on Tuesday, 7th August, 2018.
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