TDN RISING STARS

August 25, 2017 - YORK, Race 5, Msw, GBP £70,000, 7.0F, 16.1500

Dream Today (Ire), G, 2, 2015 by Dream Ahead

1st Dam: Macheera (Ire), by Machiavellian
2nd Dam: Caerlina (Ire), by Caerleon
3rd Dam: Dinalina (Fr), by Top Ville (Ire)

Owner: The Passionate Partnership
Breeder: Ballylinch Stud (Ire)
Trainer: Mark Johnston

Dream Today, a 42,000gns TAOCT full-brother to this term’s G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois hero and G1 2000 Guineas third Al Wukair (Ire), broke well and was positioned in a prominent second from the outset of this storied Convivial Maiden, Britain’s most valuable maiden contest. Easing to the front with three furlongs remaining, the 14-1 chance was shaken up approaching the final quarter mile and, despite wandering slightly under pressure, was ridden out to account for Gabr (GB) (Intello {Ger}) by 1 1/2 lengths. “You always know this maiden is going to be a good race and when we saw the prize money we debated which one would make it,� said trainer Mark Johnston of the Sept. 16 G2 Champagne S. entry. “We picked out the top three and had a gallop 10 days ago. This boy was chosen and we knew he was useful. He’d been coughing badly all year so we moved him to an outside box and it was enough to see him to come here. He was in the stalls a long time and behaved brilliantly. Like all 2-year-olds he will come on for his first race and [jockey] PJ [McDonald] felt there was more there. His full-brother Al Wukair is a top-class horse and was strongly fancied for the Guineas. He’s got the pedigree and he’s got the looks, but if you win anything above a Class 4 race you have nowhere to go. He will go for a good race, but we didn’t make any plans beyond today.� Dream Today is also a half-brother to Listed Platinum S. second and Listed Knockaire S. third Witches Brew (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) and a yearling filly by Charm Spirit (Ire). His granddam is G1 Prix de Diane-winning European highweight Caerlina (Ire) (Caerleon), whose three black-type performers include G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas placegetter La Nuit Rose (Fr) (Rainbow Quest), herself the dam of MGSW GII Kelso H. victor Tam Lin (GB) (Selkirk) and Listed Derby de l’Ouest winner Blue Rambler (GB) (Monsun {Ger}). The bay’s dam Macheera (Ire) (Machiavellian) is also a winning half-sister to the dam of MG1SP G2 Kinko Sho winner Curren Mirotic (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) and GSW G1 Victoria Mile runner-up Hikaru Amaranthus (Jpn) (Agnes Tachyon {Jpn}). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,780.