Dash star Dream Composer poised for Wokingham encore

The consistent sprinter was making his first appearance on the Surrey Downs when coming home fastest of all in the hands of Epsom novice Joe Leavy in the Dash.

Now, having already tasted success in top hats and morning suits when scoring in the race before the Derby, owners Peter Clarke Racing Partners can look forward to donning their finery once again at the Royal meeting, providing their charge makes the cut for the Wokingham Stakes.

“We’ve been very lucky and won at Sandown, Ascot, Goodwood and all the big tracks, but it was something special to win on Derby day just before the main race,” said Graham Anstiss, who founded the Peter Clarke Racing Partners syndicate in honour of his late father-in-law.

“If he gets in the Wokingham, we will probably take up the run. Epsom was a massive gamble because we had Joe Leavy who had never ridden the track and Dream Composer had never run at the track.

“We thought on paper it could be an inspired move, which it turned out to be, but it could have gone horribly wrong. Luckily for us, Dream Composer seemed to like it, he’s been an amazing little horse for us.”

Not only was Saturday’s success a defining moment in the career of both trainer James Evans and the gelding’s fledgling apprentice jockey Leavy, but it was also a poignant affair for members of the ownership group.

“It was a special day for us all and one of the guys in our group, Trevor, died a couple of weeks before and his wife was there, so it was quite nice,” added Anstiss.

“It was all about his wife Janet that day – and Janet and her daughter Sarah led the horse in.”

Seven of Dream Composer’s nine victories have come over the minimum five furlongs, but a run in the Wokingham would see the six-year-old sprinter step up to six furlongs, where he will attempt to prove just as proficient and strike again on the big stage.

“At five furlongs he’s quite deadly, but he’s quite a tricky horse who has his own thoughts on things,” continued Anstiss.

“He will always walk into the stalls on his own and if he puts in the effort on a given day, then he is a ridiculously handicapped horse. The problem is, he can also down tools a little bit if everything is not right and he’s not happy.

“When he was a three-year-old, he came fourth at Royal Ascot and probably should have won that day, he just got stuck in a load of traffic and came flying at the end.

“The problem is every time we try him at six, even though he finishes his races really strongly, we’ve never had much success. He just seems to love the five furlongs – and the harder and faster they go the better.”

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