Ken Casellas | Race Replay
Veteran trainer Kevin Keys was at home on Friday night recovering from heart surgery when his brilliant four-year-old mare Fabulous Dream scored a splendid all-the-way victory in the 2130m Trotsynd Join The Fun Pace at Gloucester Park.
“Kevin is out of hospital and is going okay,” said Fabulous Dream’s owner Jim Giumelli, who said that the mare had fully recovered from a damaged hock, an injury which kept her out of action for three months before she resumed racing at Gloucester Park last Tuesday with a dazzling victory, charging home from eleventh at the bell to score an easy win after being forced five wide 300m from home.
“Ryan Cummins is looking after the stable while Kevin is recuperating,” said Giumelli, who declared that Fabulous Dream was the fastest horse in the Keys stable at Henley Brook.
“She has assumed that mantle from Lion Queen (a five-year-old mare who has won at nine of her 28 starts, earning $147,884).”
And Giumelli has high hopes that Fabulous Dream will exceed the deeds of Lion Queen and her five-year-old stablemate Water Lou, who has amassed $456,406 from 21 wins and seven placings from 43 starts.
Fabulous Dream, a small, slightly-built mare, was purchased by Giumelli for $190,000 at the New Zealand national standardbred yearling sale at Karaka in February 2023, and she is on the doorstep of a wonderful career after racing 13 times for six wins, three placings and $42,771 in prizemoney.
“Fabulous Dream is the horse that my wife said, ‘we’re not leaving New Zealand without her,’” said Giumelli, who enjoys driving the stable’s pacers in trackwork.
Star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko has a high opinion of Fabulous Dream, not only because of her natural ability but because of her excellent versatility. He got the mare, the $1.40 favourite, away smoothly from the No. 2 barrier on Friday night and after a slow lead time of 38.4sec. and an ambling first quarter of 31.1sec. she dashed over the final quarters in 29sec., 28.5sec. and 28.9sec. and won by 4m from the $6 second fancy Kinky, who fought on gamely after racing without cover over the final 1250m. The winner rated 1.57.8.
Fabulous Dream is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the seventh foal out of the unraced Christian Cullen mare Christian Dreamer and is a full-sister to Chase The Dream and Amazing Dream.
Chase The Dream won three races in WA and was retired with earnings of $604,589 from 24 wins and 25 placings from 113 starts.
Amazing Dream was a champion pacer who won 19 times in New Zealand and five times in Australia before being successful six times in America and retiring with earnings of $1,967,140 from 30 wins and 29 placings from 78 starts.