Model professional Illicit Dreams deservedly added to her record with a decisive victory on her home course.
Trained at Ruakaka by part-owner Kenny Rae, the Gerry Harvey-bred and sold daughter of Vancouver capped off an extended run of minor placings when she put away her Rating 75 rivals over 1100 metres on Saturday.
Illicit Dreams had placed in all four of her previous outings this preparation and the favourite didn’t let her army of supporters down in the hands of Jasmine Fawcett.
“I’ve been very happy with the horse and I just left it to Jasmine, she knows her and the mare’s got good tactical speed,” Rae said.
Illicit Dream now has four career wins to her credit, including success in the Listed Champagne Stakes at Riccarton, and a return to the South Island for a longer-term black type target is on the cards for the four-year-old.
“She’s got a bit of class so we might have a shot at the Stewards later on,” Rae said.
“She’s a lovely horse and very easy to do anything with.”
Illicit Dreams is blessed with abundant speed and she used that to her advantage at Ruakaka where she was quickly into stride to easily get to the front.
She was travelling sweetly at the top of the straight and lengthened stride in the run home to score with authority.
“She had run into a couple of good ones last time, including Crocetti, so I knew the form was good,” Fawcett said.
“She loves this track and got to the front easily and was too good.”
Illicit Dreams was purchased out of Westbury Stud’s New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale draft by Rae for $30,000.
She is a daughter of the late Snitzel mare Illicit Romance who was out of a half-sister to the Group 3 winners Sheer Talent, who also placed in the G1 Australian Guineas, Kittens and Saint Encosta.
Meanwhile, Westbury stallions Swiss Ace and El Roca also made their presences felt at the Ruakaka meeting.
The former’s daughter Fonteyn was a decisive winner of the open sprint over 1400 metres while El Roca mare Flying Gib claimed the Rating 65 event over 1400 metres.
The Ralph Manning-trained Fonteyn was taken straight to the front by apprentice Tayla Mitchell and careered away in the straight to score by two and a-half lengths.
Bred and raced by the Hopson family, Fonteyn is out of the Danehill Dancer mare Ballerina Angelina and she is from the family of the G1 Livamol Classic winner Savy Yong Blonk.
By contrast, the Moira and Kieran Murdoch-prepared Flying Gib came with a sustained run for rider Fawcett from the tail of the field.
She is out of the unraced Guillotine mare Peckish whose pedigree page features the presence of the G1 Diamond Stakes winner Fully Fledged.
