Classy filly has Jamison daring to dream

Tom Jamison is dreaming of a trip to Sydney.

And chances are the Otaki owner-breeder may have just found the filly to get him there.

Jamison bred and races A Chance To Dream, the Volksraad filly who earned a shot at the Gr I $300,000 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 20 with a dazzling win in Wednesday's Listed $45,000 Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie.

Ridden by Mark Du Plessis, A Chance To Dream bided her time midfield before bursting clear at the 200m mark to put the race beyond doubt.

Her four length victory over November Rain and Corsage prompted TAB bookmakers to slash her Oaks fixed-odds price from $21 into $5.

She shares the second line of betting with Zarzuela with last Saturday's Lowland Stakes runner-up Keep The Peace a $4 favourite and Adeline, who faded to sixth in yesterday's race after a tough run early, at $6.

''She's just needed a trip and to go this way round,'' Jamison said afterwards.

''She'd had a second and a fourth left-handed but when she ran [ninth] in the Desert Gold Stakes she was on one rein the whole way.

''We're going back to left-handed for the Oaks and that's the problem but if it was wet at Wellington she can go to Sydney.''

The race Jamison is referring to is the A$350,000 AJC Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on April 17.

Du Plessis, stable jockey to Matamata trainer John Sargent, has the choice between St Germaine and A Chance To Dream for the Oaks but he said the Sunline Vase win had made the decision for him.

''She answered my question on which one I'm going to ride. I've made my mind up now,'' said Du Plessis, who racked up his 100th winner for the season on the Robert Priscott-trained Customised earlier in the day.

''She surprised me today. It was quite a step up, I thought, but she won with authority.''

Sargent said A Chance To Dream had always shown potential but the step up to a middle distance had sparked her.

''That was fantastic. We'll give her a few easy days swimming and then prepare for Wellington,'' he said.

Jamison said he was scaling back his breeding operation to free up some of his time.

Only last month he sold a sister to A Chance To Dream but there were no regrets.

''Breeding stakes winners is what it's all about,'' he said.

''I've had a tough time so I've decided to cut back my commercial breeding activities. This is one filly I really wanted to keep.

''Her dam is a Sadler's Wells mare out of a half-sister to an Oaks winner in England [Eswarah]. I'd thought the Volksraad-Green Desert cross would produce a nice filly. It's done that and I'm happy.''

The race was marred with the breaking down of Matamata filly Pezzaglia, a two-race winner trained by Mark Walker for Peter and Philip Vela.

Walker yesterday said Pezzaglia, a High Chaparral filly out of Gr II winner Paolino, would have surgery today to insert screws into her injured leg and it was looking increasing likely that she would be saved for a stud career.

''She's not out of the woods yet but it is looking favourable,'' he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News