By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
There will be a lot of eyes on No 5 in Race 2 at Alexandra Park on Friday night – and for good reason.
No More Dreaming, a full brother to millionaire pacer Don’t Stop Dreaming and a $340,000 sales topper at the 2024 NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sales in Christchurch, will make his debut in the NZB Standardbred – Here for the Horse Mobile Pace at 5.55pm.
“We are aware of the expectation,” says co-trainer Scott Phelan, “but you are going to be doing well to stand up to Don’t Stop Dreaming I know that.”
So how is the two-year-old shaping up?
“He’s working good and his trials are getting better.”
Ahead of his first appearance he has had two seconds at the workouts/trials to Seaside Dream and Iron Mike Tyson.
Among his rivals on Friday will be three Mark and Nathan Purdon-trained runners including $2.45 favourite Special Occasion and Georgie Best who won on debut. There’s also the highly-rated Nymbal ($2.80) and Queen Lizzy, a one-race winner who was a $270,000 purchase out of the 2024 Yearling Sales in Auckland. No More Dreaming opened at $16 and $3.40.
“It’s a very good field. I’m happy for the club and the industry to be honest because some two-year-old fields can be a bit on the small side,” says Phelan.
No More Dreaming was bought by the TAB Racing Club and he’ll just be the second of their standardbreds to hit the racetrack. And he has quite the act to follow. The first of them Eun Sogno was an impressive winner on debut at Addington last Friday night, beating the favoured pair of Stumblin In and Larissa Lily.
Among the TAB Racing Club’s goals is to drive awareness and support for racing ownership and to give members the experience and benefits of ownership at zero cost.
There are currently over 17,000 members, and some of them were on course to see the win last week.
Phelan reckons No More Dreaming is a “good chance” to also win on debut but stresses that this is only a starting point and that his royally-bred colt “will come back an even better three-year-old”.
