A home track opportunity too good to pass up will present the capable mare One Dream One Soul (NZ) (Ekraar) with an ideal chance to end her campaign in perfect fashion.
Trainer Lee Somervell could hardly believe his luck when the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m) was relocated to Hastings on Saturday after heavy rain forced the abandonment of its original slot at Tauranga last weekend.
Co-bred and part-owned by his partner Shirin Wood, One Dream One Soul has often saved her best for her home turf where she has won twice and posted multiple placings, so the chance of black-type couldn’t be ignored.
“We thought about putting her in the Rating 75 race here and that would do her and now they’ve transferred the Classic and it’s a lovely race for her and a good even field without being top class,” Somervell said.
“There’s no travel involved and if we had gone to Tauranga it would have been a night away and she hadn’t been right-handed before.
“She’s not totally comfortable on a really heavy track. Having said that, she is very fit and that will carry her a long way.
“If it’s loose, which I think it will be, she will handle that. She’s only a lightly framed horse, but she’s got a big heart and a big finish.”
One Dream One Soul was originally heading to the paddock following her most recent appearance over the course and distance earlier this month, but the Ekraar mare had other ideas.
“After her last start second when she was a bit unlucky and would have won in another couple of strides after getting too far back, we thought that will do her and we’ll put her out until the spring,” Somervell said.
“We gave her four days out and she wasn’t having that, she just loves her work and is a delight to train as a four-year-old.
“As a three-year-old, she was a ratty teenager but now all the trackwork riders love riding her.”
One Dream One Soul has won three races and posted a further nine placings, including a second in last season’s Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m), and Somervell believes the best is yet to come.
“I said to Shirin we have to look after this horse because I really think as a five-year-old she can get more black type in the spring races so that’s what we’ll be aiming for,” he said.
“If she can run in the first three on Saturday or with a bit of luck win the thing, it would be a fantastic way for her to start her spell.”
The fortunes of One Dream One Soul will be guided by Jim Chung on Saturday.
“You might wonder why we’ve put a 4kg claimer on, but there’s only five flat races and it was very hard to get a suitable senior rider,” Somervell said.
“This young fellow is quite an aggressive rider and showing a lot of promise and she’s not that difficult to ride.
“He’s assured me he’ll go through the tapes and she doesn’t have to get that far back and will only do what you ask her and sometimes she relaxes too much and gives the leaders too much of a start.
“It’s a long run down that back straight so he might be able to get her a bit handier. I’m pleased to have him on and I’m sure he’ll do the job well.”
The mare is a daughter of the late Sheeza Kinda Magic (NZ) (Towkay) with her offspring taking their names from the lyrics of the hit single A Kind Of Magic.
“Shirin and her late husband were both great fans of Queen and bred One Prize One Goal (who won five races) and One Dream One Soul, so it’s a bit of a Freddie Mercury theme there and Shirin is taking great delight out of it,” Somervell said.
“I’ve only got two horses in work now and am semi-retired, but I love getting up in the mornings, especially with a horse like this that always gives 110 percent.”
