Dream Dancing overcomes difficult trip to win Herecomesthebride Stakes
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Dream Dancing showed that she not only has a world of ability but a lot of heart too when overcoming an eventful trip to register a well-deserved neck decision over Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up Coasted in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride, the first of nine stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Dream Dancing was rated at the rear of the seven-horse field by jockey Julien Leparoux, about six lengths off the early pace set by Conquest Hardcandy and pressed by Sweeping Paddy.
Dream Dancing had to steady several times from between horses while trying to find racing room to launch her bid from the quarter pole through midstretch. Leparoux finally angled her inside the leaders near the sixteenth marker, at which point Dream Dancing responded to steady urging to wear down Coasted in the final strides.
Coasted, making her first start since her big effort in the Breeders’ Cup, broke slowly, recovered to race within striking distance outside horses down the backstretch, advanced steadily while remaining wide into the stretch, wrested command from Conquest Hardcandy inside the eighth pole, but could not contain the winner at the end.
Party Boat raced wide and rallied mildly to finish another three parts of a length back in third.
Dream Dancing, a homebred daughter of Tapit, is trained by Mark Casse for owner and breeder John Oxley. The win was her third in four starts on grass. She finished off the board in all three main-track outings at 2.
Dream Dancing completed the 1 1/16 miles over a firm turf course in 1:40.78 and paid $5.60.
“It only took me three starts to finally figure out she wants to be a turf horse, but I’m a slow learner,” Casse quipped in the winner’s circle. “All the trouble she had cost her some momentum, but she’s really turned out to be a pretty good filly. We’re very proud of her.”