Courtesy of a blitzing win across the Tasman, gavelhouse.com graduate Not Usual Dream (NZ) (Shocking) claimed his maiden success in the Parker Bros Earthmoving Maiden Plate (2234m) at Seymour on 18 June.
The up-and-comer has made a massive impression on Kiwi expat and former champion jumps jockey turned-trainer, Brett Scott, after he purchased Not Usual Dreamfor just $5,000 from gavelhouse.com’s thoroughbred auction earlier this year.
The five-time Great Eastern winner and four-time Grand Annual hero was apprehensive about the wide barrier drawn.
“Obviously the wide barrier was a concern around Seymour because it’s a track where you can’t get too far back,” said Scott.
“We were always going to use his good gate speed and go forward.”
In a brilliant ride for jockey Daniel Stackhouse, the Shocking gelding flew down the straight to beat the field home by half a neck.
“He did get a bit keen but once a horse let go around him with 1000m to go, Daniel said he relaxed well,” Scott said.
“I thought he was going to win by a greater margin, but we learnt that if he gets to the front too soon he will switch off and wait for the others.
“After his race, he’s had a couple of easy days in the paddock he has bounced back well.”
Scott says he anticipates that Not Usual Dream will have a promising jumping career next season.
“Going forward with his next start we are aiming for a Bm64 2400m at Bendigo, but jumping is his ultimate aim.
“We have been schooling him up. He jumps really well and we’ll get him to whatever level we can, he’ll tell us,” he said.
Validating the calculated move to Victoria, the lightly raced son of stakes-winning Pentire mare Walsburgs Dream (NZ) has now earned nearly seven-times his original purchase price in less than five months for Scott.
Not Usual Dream was declared as a windsucker when sold on gavelhouse.com, “I don’t have any issues with him as a windsucker, as it doesn’t affect his performance or the way he eats,” Scott said.
“We put a collar on him when traveling him to minimise the risk of him doing whilst travelling and have found it’s more something the show people do not like when it comes to rehoming.
“If anybody asks me about that I always say the Our Poetic Prince was a windsucker, never wore a collar and was a champion.”
A fan of Kiwi horses, Scott was also active at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling Sale on Gavelhouse Plus.
Held last Sunday 21 June, he purchased a Preferment colt out of Salford Art (Lot 27) for $2,400 from Brighthill Farm.
“We are going to leave him in New Zealand and grow him out over there.
“I really like Preferment and the Zabeel sire line in him, and I’m pretty happy with the mare’s form as well.
“For that sort of money I’m happy to take a gamble,” Scott said.
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