From A Nightmare Springs A Dream

[Wandering Eyes]

A year ago, Steven Smith completed the London Marathon, a sporting goal achieved by some 40,000 competitors every year. In Smith’s case, however, the achievement was all the more remarkable given that he still walks gingerly with a stick after being seriously injured in 2011 when jumping from a first-floor window to flee armed raiders in his home in the south of France.

The fall onto a river bank below and subsequent brutal attack by the gunmen left Smith with a broken back and limbs along with facial injuries, not to mention the emotional trauma caused by such an event. Initially paralysed, he exceeded medical expectations by eventually learning to walk again, undertaking the marathon to raise money for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation (NSIF), a charity which aims to find a cure for paralysis.

Fast-forward 12 months from that pilgrimage of sorts through the streets of London and on Saturday, Smith stood in the Newbury winner’s enclosure after the G3 Fred Darling S. with Dan’s Dream (GB) (Cityscape {GB}), a filly bred at his Hunscote Stud in Warwickshire. Few would begrudge the breeder his turn in racing’s spotlight, his first homebred Group winner landing an important Classic trial in impressive fashion some five years after Hunscote was bought following Smith’s return to England from France.

“It took me quite a while to compose myself after the race. It was very special,” he admits.

But it was not a result enjoyed by the Smith alone. His ties to NSIF are still strong and when the filly was a yearling, she was offered as an auction prize to swell the charity’s funds for spinal cord injury research. As a result, Dan’s Dream is raced in a partnership made up of Hunscote Stud, Fred Watt, Simon Peckham, former England cricketer Ian Botham and former Welsh rugby star Gareth Edwards.

Botham and Edwards both excelled in their respective sporting fields, as did Dan’s Dream’s trainer, Mick Channon, of England and Southampton footballing fame.

The sporting link continues through Hunscote Stud manager Andy Lloyd, another former first-class cricketer. He explains, “We put the filly forward as a charity prize and got Ian Botham and Gareth Edwards involved in the syndicate, with Mick to train her. She’s leased from the stud and Fred and Simon made the winning bid to be her owners for two years. Any prize-money won also goes to the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation.”

The NSIF has now benefited by more than £34,000 thanks to Dan’s Dream, who is named after Daniel Nicholls, a teenager paralysed from the neck down following an accident on Bondi Beach. His father David set up the charitable foundation to honour the promise made to his son that he would do everything within his power to help Daniel walk again.

As the first foal of Royal Ffanci (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), one of 12 mares at Hunscote Stud, Dan’s Dream’s success obviously increases the standing of both her dam and any future siblings, but there is an extra bonus in the 3-year-old becoming the first Group winner for her sire as Hunscote is the 40% owner of the Juddmonte-bred Cityscape in partnership with Simon Sweeting of Overbury Stud, where he has stood since his retirement in 2014.

“We’ve always foaled our mares at Conduit Stud with Christopher Sweeting so I met his son Simon through that connection,” says Smith. “I had said I’d be interested in getting involved in a stallion if the right one came along. When Simon got in touch with me about Cityscape the numbers quoted were very sensible.”

He continues, “I’d always followed him as a racehorse and was very impressed by his Dubai Duty Free win at Meydan. I assumed he’d either end up standing for Juddmonte or at Lanwades Stud as it was just around the time that Kirsten Rausing had lost his sire, Selkirk.”

With his half-brother Bated Breath (GB) (Dansili {GB}) already on the roster at Banstead Manor Stud, Cityscape’s appearance on the stallion market piqued the interest of Sweeting.

“Richard Brown put him forward to us as a stallion prospect literally the week after Steven and I had talked about him getting involved in a stallion,” he says. “I went to see Cityscape at Beckhampton and very much liked what I saw. His pedigree is interesting, not just because of Bated Breath but also because of Selkirk. That doesn’t make him particularly easy to market but there are aficionados out there. He’s made it easier for us though as he’s a fine, strong horse who produces fine, strong stock. His yearlings sold fairly well the first year, less well last year, but hopefully people will start to realise what he’s capable of. The speed influences seem to be working well with him so far.”

From a clutch of juvenile winners last year, it was reasonable to hope that Cityscape’s offspring would start to make their mark as 3-year-olds, and indeed last weekend made real that hope for the team closest to him. Following Dan’s Dream’s win at Newbury, The Broghie Man (GB), a winner and Listed-placed at two, saw off some stiff opposition to land the listed Committed S. over 5½ furlongs at Navan for Adrian Keatley.

From an initial book of 98 mares, Cityscape dropped to around the 50 mark for his subsequent seasons and currently has 39 booked to him this year. “I’d be very surprised if we can’t get that past 50 after this weekend,” adds Sweeting.

One of those already booked to return to him, unsurprisingly, is Royal Ffanci. Hunscote Stud lost a 2-year-old sister to Dan’s Dream in a pre-training accident and the mare currently has a yearling filly by Coach House (GB) and a colt foal by Twilight Son (GB).

“We’ll retain the Coach House filly and although the mare hasn’t been covered yet, the plan was always to go back to Cityscape. Dan’s Dream was actually the very first foal born by him and the mare rejected her so she was raised on Dolly the foster mare. Royal Ffanci has got the hang of it though and is now a very good mother,” says Andy Lloyd.

“One of the reasons that Cityscape was so attractive to us at the start is his pedigree and the fact that he’s a complete outcross. He gives breeders options and his stats are very encouraging given that he hasn’t been supported by the big breeding operations, more by small, private breeders.”

Hunscote Stud and Cityscape will be represented today (Tuesday) via another homebred, Sigrid Nansen (GB), who runs at Yarmouth for Greenham S.-winning trainer George Scott.

“We’re continuing to support him and will be sending six mares to him this season, which is half of our broodmare band,” says Smith, who is currently deciding whether or not to supplement Dan’s Dream for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas on May 6.

He adds, “I’m here at Conduit Stud at the moment and Christopher [Sweeting] was just saying that we may never get this chance again. I think we have to supplement for the Guineas.”

It sounds like the decision has already been made. The dream is alive.

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