Another Crystal Stakes-Winner for Contract

Tara Madgwick - Saturday August 31
David and Jenny Moodie of Contract Racing have bred a lot of good horses carrying the 'Crystal' prefix including Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily and cheered home her three-quarter brother-in-blood Crystal Dreamer to win the Group III MRC Heath Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.




A seven year-old gelding by Stratum, the Matt Ellerton and Simon Zahra trained Crystal Dreamer has had his share of niggling injuries and was resuming from a long spell of nearly a year in the 1100 metre sprint.

Crystal Dreamer - images Grant CourtneyCrystal Dreamer raced up on the pace and always looked a contender before forging clear to win by half a length.

"He's not the soundest horse, although you'd never know it looking at his record," said Matt Ellerton adding a suspensory ligament had been the latest issue to sideline Crystal Dreamer.

"It's just fantastic to see him back like that today."

With 11 wins and eight placings from 28 starts, Crystal Dreamer has been very consistent and while he might lack the glamour of the ill-fated Crystal Lily, he has banked over $590,000 for connections.

A multiple stakes-winner, Crystal Dreamer is the best of six winners from stakes-winner Crystal Wit, a half-sister to Crystal Lily and stakes-winners Amaethon and Crystal Web from top producer Crystal Snip.

Crystal Wit has a two year-old colt by Written Tycoon and was covered last spring by Shalaa (IRE) after missing to Zoustar.

Crystal Dreamer is one of 41 stakes-winners for Widden Stud's much missed sire Stratum, whose place on the Widden roster has been filled by his dual Group I winning son Stratum Star.




Advertisment
More Reading...
$1.7million Apocalyptic Brother Wins G3 Canonbury on Debut
The market for this year’s $5million Group I ATC Golden Slipper was thrown upside down, shaken and stirred after the running of the Group III ATC Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday with victory going to blueblood first starter Hidrix.
G3 JRA Plate Goes To Willaidow
Having been a great money earner for connections, the Marc and Mitchell Conners trained Shamus Award gelding Willaidow recorded consecutive wins in the Group 3 sprint, taking out this year’s $250,000 ATC G3 JRA Plate (1200m) at Rosehill.
Aussie Winner South Africa
Casting off maiden status at Kenilworth in South Africa on Saturday was three year-old Stratum filly Freedom Seeker, an $80,000 Inglis Premier purchase for World Wide Bloodstock  from the draft off Grenville Stud.
Cambridge Stud Homebred 2YO Wins G3 Colin Jillings Classic
Exciting filly Liguria opened her winning account in fine style with a courageous victory at stakes level when she claimed the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) at Ellerslie.
Embellish Filly Wins G2 Lowland Stakes
Robbie Patterson looks to have another serious Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) contender on his hands following Ultimate Habit’s victory at Trentham on Saturday and as her names suggests, she is from the family of the great champion Rough Habit.
New SW Staphanos - Special Sakura Wins Listed
Taranaki visitor Special Sakura upset the applecart when she led from go to whoa to bring up just her third career victory, and first at black-type level, when winning the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie.
Stratum's Legionnaire Breaks Maiden in Exford PLate
The deceased Widden stallion Stratum came close to having a stakes-winner from his final full crop when Absolute Flirt was a luckless second on the Listed Cap D'Antibes Stakes at Flemington but thirty five minutes later he struck with the John Moloney-trained Legionnaire who broke his maiden in the Listed Exford Plate (1400m).
30th SW Almanzor - Manzor Blue Wins G3 Wellington Cup
Palmerton North mare Manzor Blue caused a major upset when taking out the Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham on Saturday.
Wrote Mare Turns Back the Clock for Second G3 Bellmaine
Seven-year-old mare Wrote To Arataki landed her second Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) three years after her first, with a strong front-running success under Dean Yendall at Caulfield on Saturday.
Blue Diamond Equal Favouritism For Big Sky – Half Sister At Inglis Classic
Even more impressive than his debut victory, Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr’s 2yo Bivouac colt Big Sky further highlighted his claim on the $2m G1 MRC Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) with an emphatic three length victory in the G3 MRC Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield to remain unbeaten.