All American's Dark Dream Dominates Rough Habit Plate

Mark Smith - Sunday May 13

Beaten in a class one at his home track at Kembla Grange in December, the Kerry Parker-trained Dark Dream capped a spectacular rise with a 4-length demolition of Saturday's Group III Rough Habit Plate (2000m) and in the process went to the head of betting for the Group 1 Queensland Derby at Doomben on June 9.

Given a positive ride by Tim Clark from an outside barrier, the Kerry Parker-trained son of All American spaced his rivals in the straight to win eased down.

Chris Waller's Higher Ground ($4.60) battled into second a half-length in advance of the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained California Turbo ($10) in third.

It completed a profitable day for Clark who won the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 aboard English and the Listed Queensland Day Stakes on Perast.

With his first stakes win, Dark Dream advances his record to 3 wins and 5 seconds from 8 starts with earnings of $204,901.

"How are they going to beat him in the Derby off that?" Clark said.

"My manager has done a good job to get me on him

"Kerry has done a great job, he's only got a small team. I think his flight was cancelled so he couldn't get up here but that was a dominant win.

"He hasn't put it all together yet, he's still got a bit to learn but the talent is there.

Advertisement

You have to ride him a bit ugly, you can't just sit and look pretty on him

"Once I got passed the 600m to the 500m I let him rip and he put them away within a couple of strides and wasn't stopping on the line. He's a true strayer and has pulled up like he hasn't gone around.

A homebred for long-time stable clients Mary Jane Basson and Jess Wilson, Dark Dream is the best of four winners from as many to race out of the Lion Hunter mare, Buchanan Girl.

You need to go back five generations to find the previous stakes winner, the SAJC Sires Produce Stakes winner Tell Fibs who is a half-brother to the dams of Victoria Derby and Spring Champion Stakes winner Nothin' Leica Dane and to the granddam of AJC Australian Oaks winner Leica Smile and Victoria Derby winner Redding.

Buchanan Girl has a weanling colt by the unheralded Redoute's Choice stallion May'Haab and was covered by the Cox Plate winner Shamus Award last spring.

Dark Dream becomes the fifth stakes-winner for Chatswood Stud's handsome All American (pictured) who stood the 2017 season at a fee of $13,200.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.
Wootton Bassett Colt Leads Coolmore G1 Trifecta
The last British Group I race of the flat season was run overnight at Doncaster with Aidan O’Brien producing a trifecta of two year-old colts led by a son of the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in Hawk Mountain, who was too good for a pair of Frankel colts.
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 25
Here is the full list of 136 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..