First Hong Kong Win for Derby Hero Dark Dream

Tara Madgwick - Sunday Dec 23
A stylish winner of the Group I BRC Queensland Derby earlier this year, high class four year old Dark Dream was subsequently sold to Hong Kong and opened his account in spectacular fashion at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Dark Dream - HKJCNow trained by Frankie Lor, Dark Dream was third when making his Hong Kong debut earlier this month over 1600 metres and found the step up to 2000 metres on Sunday perfectly to his liking.

He surged home from back in the field and was in a class of his own sprinting to the line four and a half lengths clear o of his rivals in this Class Two assignment.

Lor has a potentially powerful Derby pack to shuffle once the Four-Year-Old Classic Series gets under way with the Hong Kong Classic Mile on 27 January and, ever the realist, he voiced concerns about whether the rain had played a part in the margin of victory.

"Maybe that helped him," he said. "At the turn he was last or second last, so I was nervous, but he came so strongly up the inside. Coming back to 1600m for the Classic Mile may be a bit short but I have to try and, of course, I hope he's a Derby horse."

Dark Dream was not offered at auction and is by All American from Buchanan Girl, who traces back to the family of Victoria Derby winner Nothin' Leica Dane. Buchanan Girl produced a filly this year by Cox Plate winner Shamus Award.

With five wins and seven placings from 12 starts, Dark Dream has never finished worse than third in his life.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Unraced First Season Sires Trial Report
It’s been a pretty steady start to spring in terms of 2YO races and we are still waiting to see a first season sire post a winner, but there has been action aplenty at the trials which would indicate the pre-Christmas period is set to ignite.
Remembering Sunline – The Queen of the Cox Plate Before Winx
From our vantage point in 2026, we can look back at modern Cox Plate history and marvel at how quickly the years are passing.
Racing Industry Mourns Much Loved Izzy Neale
The thoroughbred racing industry is devastated tonight following news that apprentice jockey Izzy Neale, aged 22, has tragically died as the result of a race fall at Warren on Sunday.
Haras d'Etreham Set Fee for Hotazhell
Triple Group I winner Hotazhell will begin his stallion career at Haras d'Etreham in France at a fee of €15,000 next year before then shuttling to Widden Stud in Australia.
Two Winners for Who’s There
Bileena Stud will offer a yearling from good producer Who’s There at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale that had important updates from Canberra on Friday with not one but two of his siblings saluting.
Dam of Royal Symphony to Visit All American
In a huge coup for the Group 1 sire, All American will cover Naturalist - the dam of boom horse Royal Symphony.
All American Returns Permanently to Geisel Park
Geisel Park Stud owner Eddie Rigg has purchased Group 1 stallion All American outright to stand permanently in Western Australia.
2027 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1881 entries for the 2027 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?
Southern Highlands Thoroughbred Week is Out of the Gate!
Celebrating 140 years of racing and thoroughbred culture, Southern Highlands Thoroughbred Week presented by GROW Southern Highlands will span three weekends, from 19th November to 6th December.
G1 Aussie Pedigree Watch –Newly Minted
Pedigree does matter if you want to be winning races longer than 1200m, although in an interesting twist a colt bred on face value for speed is in fact from the family of Zabeel.