Dreams Are Free turned doubt into dominance when speeding back to winning form in the Tuapeka Lodge Cup yesterday.
The Nathan Williamson-trained and driven 4-year-old has no shortage of fans built off his brilliant performances as a 2 and 3-year-old.
But even the most loyal of them would have been put to the test when the pin-up pacer made a hash of the start in the Ascot Park feature.
Thankfully for his big group of supporters, Dreams Are Free was able to regain his composure without losing substantial ground or his winning shot.
And Williamson did not waste that second opportunity, shooting the 4-year-old around to take the lead before the field had reached the winning post for the first time.
"Things went a little bit pear-shaped. He got it wrong at the start again but he mustered quickly today," Williamson said.
"We went from missing the start to being in front after 600m."
Dreams Are Free bagged the Tuapeka Lodge Cup one day short of a year since his previous win on King’s Birthday at Ashburton last year.
That is largely due to the pacer undergoing an operation for a breathing issue, which put his career on hold for several months.
Not fully put to a gruelling test of stamina, Dreams Are Free showed he had not lost any of his speed when zipping home in 26.5sec on a rain-affected Ascot Park track.
And with it came a sense of relief for Williamson and owners Brendan Fahy and the Dreams Are Free Syndicate.
"He’s had the wind operation – it had taken us a while to figure out why he was so inconsistent," Williamson said.
"He was brilliant as a 2-year-old and then I think a couple of these wind problems came on. It has been frustrating but it is great to see him back in winning form."
Massive Merc also botched the start and set himself a nearly impossible task when missing away over the sprint trip of 2200m.
But the trotter was able to redeem himself when flying down the outer late to score for trainer-driver Craig Ferguson.
"He’s always been tougher than he was fast and had he stepped away I probably would’ve driven him that way."
"But we have probably found something new out about him today with the speed he showed."
