Former Kiwi strikes at Moonee Valley

[Wandering Eyes]

One Dream One Soul produced a barnstorming finish to win Saturday’s A$80,000 Benchmark 74 Handicap (1600m). Photo: Bruno Cannatelli

One Dream One Soul has wasted little time in making her mark across the Tasman, producing a barnstorming finish to win Saturday’s A$80,000 Benchmark 74 Handicap (1600m) at Moonee Valley in her second Australian start.

Previously trained by Lee Somervell to win four of her 33 starts in New Zealand, One Dream One Soul relocated to Victoria and joined the Pakenham stable of Andrea Leek.

The six-year-old was a close fourth at Sandown in her Australian debut on August 21, and on Saturday she defied $30 odds for a superb come-from-behind win.

Patiently ridden by Thomas Stockdale, One Dream One Soul sat at the tail of the 10-horse field for most of the race before swooping widest of all around the home turn.

She quickened brilliantly in the straight and snatched victory right on the finish line.

“I thought she was over the odds,” Stockdale said.

“She ran a super race last start.

“We got a track into the race today and we were able to give her the room. Because she’d spent no tickets early in the race, she had plenty left for the straight. It was a super effort by Andrea to present the horse in the way she has and get the win.

“I think she’ll be able to go to 2000m now and be ultra-competitive in a better race.”

One Dream One Soul has now had 35 starts for five wins, seven placings and A$152,431 in stakes.

She collected black type with a placing in the Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) as a three-year-old.

Leek explained after the race how the mare came to be in her stable.

“We were very lucky,” she said.

“When Wiremu Pinn was here, his girlfriend’s mum came and stayed with us and we were lucky enough to meet a lovely lady named Shirin Wood, who’s actually flown over from New Zealand to watch today. Her husband Lee trained this mare and we said to her, ‘What about sending her across here?’ They agreed and here we are.

“She was a little bit fat going into Sandown, she sweated up. Since then her coat’s popping and she’s tightened up and we just thought she looks the real deal now, so it’s very exciting.

“I was hoping to dream that could she win today and we could look at the Matriarch Stakes (Group 2, 2000m) in November and work our way back and see what races lead us into that.”

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