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.
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.
