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Dream Lifter raring for second Cyril Flower tilt

Headshot of Cameron Newbold
Cameron NewboldAlbany Advertiser

Star Albany galloper Dream Lifter will look to score his second black type success on Saturday when he contests the $100,000 Cyril Flower Stakes (1200m) at Ascot after winning the corresponding race last year.

The talented sprinter broke through for his first listed victory in the 2016 Cyril Flower, edging out Red Ora by a nose, and will try to become only the second horse in the history of the race to win it on successive occasions.

Brilliant sprinter Corporate Gun won consecutive Cyril Flower feature races in 1999 and then again in 2000 for trainer Geoff Roberts, and Dream Lifter will lump 58.5kg — the same weight he carried to win last year in Saturday’s field of 12.

The Danehill Express gelding will jump from barrier three after running second to Rebel King, beaten by a length in the Mungrup Stud Sprint (1300m) at Mt Barker on January 22 when resuming from a spell. Albany trainer Paul Hunter said the seven-year-old worked strongly on Tuesday morning and pulled up well ahead of his second-up assignment, electing to run in the Cyril Flower rather than Saturday week’s $120,000 Pinjarra Classic (1300m).

“We were pleased with his work yesterday and we’ll start him Saturday,” Hunter said.

“It’s going to be a good race, we are happy with our horse but it’s a different race and different field to last year.

“He’s done pretty well (since his first-up run), his fitness has been OK and the 1200m is ideal for him at this stage of his prep.”

Local jockey Mitchell Pateman will again ride Dream Lifter, having partnered the classy sprinter in five of his eight career victories.

Fellow Albany horse Potent Secret will also contest the listed feature race for trainer Roy Rogers. A winner of the listed Summer Scorcher (1000m) in December, Potent Secret finished fifth in last month’s Mungrup Stud Sprint and then ran a brave third behind Divine Calling and Durendal in the listed Scenic Blast Stakes (1200m) on January 28.

Jerry Noske will partner the six-year-old who will carry 55kg and jump from barrier eight.

Rogers also nominated Candlelight Star for the race but instead opted to run him in the Stone Motherless After The Last Handicap (1400m) instead.

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