Mark Dixon was realistic about the chances of his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender African Dream and admitted this run would partly be used to show exactly how good she was.

He said, “She’s exceptionally well after that last win (in which she defended her crown in the KZN Breeders 1200). It’s a massive step up in class, but she’s going to have a break anyway so our theory was we’ve got nothing to lose. She’s drawn eleven of eleven which is obviously not great, but one of her greatest assets is her gate speed. She’s out the stalls like a bullet, that’s if she behaves herself on the day, although there’s no reason to believe that she won’t.”

The four-year-old Mogok filly has always had an aversion to the starting stalls but behaved herself well last time having been accompanied by Dixon’s wife and assistant trainer Hayley and the “horse whisperer” Glyn Redgrave. The pair will be with her at the start again.

Dixon continued, “Then we can get across and sit nice and handy, that’s her style of racing. We will learn an awful lot and see where we are at, because we’re taking on the best. We can run a place maybe.”

Dixon ran third in this race last year at Clairwood with Showmetheway and felt he was a touch unlucky not to have won it having been drawn badly, but he admitted it had been a “sub-standard Gr 1 and this year’s is a lot more competitive.”

African Dream’s six wins (in 12 starts) have all been over this distance, but she is merit rated 101, which leaves her with a mountain to climb against the like of 120 merit rated Captain Of All under the weight for age conditions. Regular rider Keagan de Melo will be aboard.

By David Thiselton

Picture: African Dream (Nkosi Hlophe)