Land Office wins at Doomben for Tiffany Brooker. Picture: Natasha Wood
BRISBANE’S leading apprentice Tiffani Brooker gave the credit to her mount Dreams Aplenty after she won the second heat of the National Apprentices series on Wednesday.
The race drew apprentice jockeys from across Australia to Eagle Farm and Brooker’s win followed Brooke Stower’s win in the race last year on Fleur D’Orage.
Despite drawing the extreme outside barrier Brooker allowed Dreams Aplenty ($ 1.90) to cross the field and lead after 600m.
Dreams Aplenty, who ran second in the Group Two BRC Sires last winter, was too good for the Class 3 Plate field winning by 2 1/4 lengths from All That Is ($ 51) ridden by Perth’s Randy Tan.
Tasmania’s Hayley McCarthy was third 1 1/4 lengths back on Mishani Sleuth ($ 7.50).
Brooker has been in great form leading the Brisbane apprentices premiership on 20 wins for the season while it was her 127th career victory.
“Dreams A Plenty is obviously a good horse. in fact he was the best horse in the race. He didn’t begin as well as I would have liked but he worked his way to the lead and was too strong.”
Trainer John Zielke thought so much of Dreams Aplenty that he took the gelding to Flemington in the spring for the Danehill Stakes.
“But he was injured in the run and we had to come home. This time we will work him along slowly with his first target probably the Weetwood Handicap in Toowoomba on April 8,” Zielke said.
“Nozi Tomizawa who has won a Weetwood as a jockey came to me and said the way Dreams Aplenty works up the hill at Toowoomba he would be ideal for the Weetwood.”
“We just need some more prize money and we could sneak into the Weetwood on a light weight.”
Zielke is also looking at the three year old races up to 1600m in the winter for Dreams Aplenty.
In form jockey Luke Dittman, who produced another top ride to win on Hidden Budget ($ 4), has decided not to appeal an 11 days suspension which started Wednesday night.
Dittman was able to bounce Hidden Budget to the lead from barrier 16 and was never headed in the Three Year Old Fillies Maiden Plate (1300m).
“I will use the time off from the suspension to have a holiday and visit my family,” said Dittman who was riding on an automatic stay from March 1 when he was suspended.
The son of champion jockey Mick Dittman has been making a big name for himself of late and is averaging a winner a race meeting in recent weeks.
“That was a clever ride and Luke has a lot of his dad in him,” winning trainer Kelly Schweida said.
Jeff Lloyd inched ever closer to Chris Munce’s Brisbane metropolitan jockeys record of 103 winners when he had his 98th success for the season on Novative ($ 2.80).
The win continued trainer Ben Currie’s success with horses bought from Darley dispersal sales.
Trainer Stuart Kendrick is looking to stepping former Melbourne galloper Margin Trader up in distance after he won the Class 4 (1835m).
Originally published as Apprentice completes jockey’s dream
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