You never know when a good horse is going to show up at the races. As the 2022-2023 Hong Kong racing season winds down, there have been a handful of horses that look like they will fill the ranks of top races next year. But, none has been more impressive than Dream Winner.
The New Zealand-bred son of Exosphere made his career debut in a class 4 handicap going 1000m on May 21 of this year. Always prominent despite drawing the far outside, he stalked a fast pace before pulling away to an easy victory by 5 ¼ lengths. There have been 82 races run so far this year going this distance and Dream Winner's final time of 55.14 seconds was the fastest of them all.
Yes, it might have been aided by a tailwind down the homestretch but it was a visual tour de force as the 3-year-old gelding looked like he never hit his top gear. His rating skyrocketed to a 64 – a 12-point move – and it just reinforced what was seen on the track.
Moved up to class 3, he came back on June 10 for another sprint down the straightaway but unlike his debut when he went off as the second betting choice, now he was the heavy favorite. This time, Dream Winner was away fourth in an eight-runner field but jockey Vincent Ho was able to cruise between horses to get clear passage to the front.
Weighing in at 1,280 pounds, his stride and presence was enormous and won as he pleased by 2 ½ lengths. His running time of 55.52 seconds was the third-fastest of the meet. So, in his first two career starts, he ran the fastest and third-fastest 1,000-meter final times of the season. He did it easily and gave the visual impression that there is more to come.
Rightfully impressed, his rating jumped up another dozen points to 76. To give you a reference point, it took future multiple Group 1 stakes winner Romantic Warrior four starts to achieve a rating of 76. Dream Winner has done it in two starts.
With hardly any racing experience, Dream Winner is running sectional times that remind me of the great Black Caviar when she was winning all 25 of her career starts. In both of his starts, Dream Winner ran his second 100 meters under 10 seconds.
Career debut: Second Start:
13.07 seconds 13.07 seconds
9.87 9.88
10.24 10.35
10.54 10.65
11.42 11.57
55.14 seconds 55.52 seconds
Dream Winner is running legendary sectionals. He is doing it with ease and without any visual encouragement. So far, just hands and heels from Ho.
Trainer Frankie Lor entered Dream Winner in a class 3 on July 1 (eighth race, 7:40 p.m. in Hong Kong) going 1,000 meters so we have the opportunity to see him one more time this season. How far he can go is anyone's guess. He looks athletic and light on his feet so going around the wide turns of Sha Tin should not be a problem.
Dream Winner's pedigree might be slanted towards shorter distances but with his size and stride I don't see any reason that he can't win up to a mile. He is still very immature so what he has shown is pure talent. With experience and maturity, the sky is the limit.
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