No Stopping Dream in Fighting Amateurs Sprint Win

Atherton flyer Yes Dream continued his love affair with the Cluden Park track with a gritty photo finish win in the $30,000 Townsville Amateur Sprint on Sunday.

The home bred four-year-old, with premier hoop Lacey Morrison in the saddle, came back from the brink of defeat to beat Bondi Beau in a nail-biter and take his faultless Cluden record to five from five.

Hobby trainer Michael Lee, who bred the gelding from his grand producer Platinum Ruby and races him with wife Maggie, is now considering a start in the Magic Millions Country Cup Qualifier at Cluden in December.

“If he pulls up good there’s another race for him here in a month’s time, the Magic Millions qualifier. He just loves this track,” Lee said.

“I was a bit worried in the last 50m. I thought has he had enough but then he’s such a good horse that he just dug deep and got there.

“We gave him a few quiet weeks after his last start in Cairns in September and brought him back slowly to run in this.

“But I’ll just see how he gets over it and decide whether we give him one more run.”

Lee was delighted to have wife maggie with him at Cluden to watch Yes Dream win.

Maggie has stayed in Atherton on race days to keep things running at the Lees’ renowned Chinese restaurant, but can now make more trips to the track after the couple’s recent retirement.

“We had our own restaurant for 25 years, and then we retired and after five years came back again for another couple of years. But this time it’s for good,” Lee said.

“We have Yes Dream and his siblings, Ruby July who is spelling, Bellotti Beans and a foal out of the mare (Platinum Ruby) in Brisbane by Territories.

“It’s the biggest thrill you can get to have the mare, pick the stallion, get them in foal and rear them up from a baby and if they’re lucky enough to get to the track and win races.”

Yes Dream has been a pin-up boy for punters at Cluden and was again all the rage on Sunday, running a heavily backed $1.8 favourite.

But those who took the short odds it was an anxious final stages as Yes Dream was joined by Bondi Beau before rallying to win by a half head. The Georgie Holt-trained Miss Seattle closed late to finish third.

Holt earlier combined with jockey Nathan Day to claim the Townsville Amateur Cup (1609m) with the promising Siren Rock.

A bargain buy online by Holt’s mum Deidre, Siren Rock was sent out a red hot favourite and stormed home from mid-field to score by 3 1/4 lengths.

“Mum found him on the Inglis auction and snagged him and it was obviously a pretty good move,” Holt said.

“We sort of mapped out this race for him. We were slightly disappointed with his last run when he ran second, and we wondered whether we made the right decision to come here today, but we stuck to the plan and I’m glad we did.

Day’s win on Siren Rock capped a big day after he earlier won on the Stephen Bush-trained Don’t Tell Leeanne and Bay Of Bengal to land a winning treble.

Pictured: Lacey Morrison with Yes Dream and trainer, Michael Lee.

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