Sixth Stakes Win for Celebrity Dream (NZ)

Quality mare Celebrity Dream (NZ) (Thorn Park), who was a $260,000 yearling purchase at Karaka in 2014, picked up her sixth stakes win with a dominant performance in Friday’s A$100,000 Listed Sheila Gwynne Classic (1400m) at Ascot.

Bought by John Chalmers Bloodstock at the 2014 Premier Sale, Celebrity Dream was recruited to race for the leviathan Western Australian owners Bob and Sandra Peters.

Celebrity Dream has well and truly delivered, winning 11 of her 27 starts and A$618,550 in prize-money.

Friday’s Listed win sits alongside her previous victories in the Group 3 La Trice Classic (1800m) and the Listed Jungle Mist Classic (1200m), Starstruck Classic (1600m) and two editions of the Jungle Dawn Classic (1400m).

Trainer Adam Durrant has indicated that the six-year-old is closing in on retirement to stud, but Friday’s performance showed she had lost none of her zest.

Dropping back to second-last under regular rider William Pike, Celebrity Dream was angled to the outside in the straight and coasted past her rivals. With Pike never asking her for full effort, she scored by a length and a half.

Celebrity Dream was bred by her Karaka vendors Haunui Farm in partnership with Garry Cranny and Frantic Bloodstock.

She is a half-sister to the multiple Group winners Vavasour (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) and Vilanova (NZ) (Commands). Another half-sister, Rondinella (NZ) (Ocean Park), has been Group 1-placed in this season’s Tancred Stakes (2400m) and New Zealand Stakes (2000m).