Dreamland makes it two in a row on Saturday at Turffontein Standside (JC Photos)
The Non-Black Type Betway Mythical Flight Sprint for three-year-olds over 1100m saw the well-bred Lucky Houdalakis-trained Dreamland converting favouritism under Gavin Lerena and putting the cherry on the top of a good weekend for the former Equus Champion Sprinter Val De Ra and her breeders Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm.
It was the annual Henneman Memorial meeting and all of the nine races were named after the victims of the airplane tragedy of April 12 1988 which claimed the lives of 13 jockeys, one trainer, five officials and two owners.
The Avontuur-bred gelding Dreamland is out of Val De Ra’s placed British-bred daughter Dream De Ra, who is bred in the purple. Val De Ra, who won the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint and the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship, was by European champion sprinter Var and Dream De Ra was by another European Champion Sprinter in Oasis Dream, who has produced the winners of 27 Group 1 races.
On Friday Val De Ra’s Gavin Smith-trained Avontuur-bred three-year-old daughter by Oratorio, Cabaret, won her first start in the Eastern Cape, over 1300m on the poly at Fairview, by 6,25 lengths under Muzi Yeni. It was only in an open maiden for fillies and mares and she only had to carry 57,5kg after a previous record of a second and five unplaced runs in the strong centre of Cape Town, but the manner of the victory suggests she has a good future ahead of her in Gqeberha.
Dreamland has always shown a lot of promise and in his fourth start over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville waltzed in by 3,75 lengths.
He ran second off a 90 merit rating after that, but then went off the boil for three runs between October and November last year.
However, he went down to an 87 and in his last five runs has a fourth, a third, a second (to the useful Time Fo Orchids) and two wins.
He won off an 86 over 1160m on March 23 and on Saturday won off an 89 in the handicap Non-Black Type event.
Dreamland broke well from draw five of seven and shared the early lead with Gocekwithlove.
However, at the 400m mark he shot forward and nobody was ever going to catch him.
Richard The First, Just Be Lekker and Mount Pilatus closed in, but Gavin Lerena kept Dreamland going to beat them by 0,25 lengths, 0,75 lengths and 1,25 lengths respectively.
Lerena has ridden Dreamland to both of his last two wins.
It was a quick double for Houdalakis as he had also pulled off a fine training feat in the previous race when the promising Judpot filly On The Horizon returned from a three-and-a-half month layoff to record a fourth career win in a MR 90 Handicap over 1400m for fillies and mares under Raymond Danielson.
The next race was a Mr 106 handicap over 1160m and it also saw a follow up win. The Johan Janse van Vuuuren-trained Erupt four-year-old gelding Cosmic Star had won by 2,75 lengths over 1000m on March 16, but the seven point raise he was given did not stop him running on strongly on Saturday to beat the consistent Captain Hindsight by 1,25 lengths. Gavin Lerena is his regular pilot and the win secured him a treble on the day.
Lerena had also waltzed in by 4,25 lengths in the first race of the day, a Juvenile Plate over 1160m, on the Candice Dawson-trained Truth. This Heavenly Blue colt is out of the Frankel mare Frankly, who is out of a Fastnet Rock mare and disappointingly only won one race. However, she could make amends in the breeding shed. Truth is her second foal and second runner and the first one, Courageous, has also won a race. Futhermore, Frankly’s half-sister, the Brett Crawford-trained Mont Loisir by Vercingetorix, bolsted the pedigree about an hour-and-a-half later when winning a maiden over 1400m in the strong centre of Cape Town by an easy 2,50 lengths under Richard Fourie.
Lerena was the only treble scorer on the day at Turffontein, but the double scorers were all of Muzi Yeni, Houdalakis, Janse van Vuuren and Fanie Bronkhorst.
