Live in The Dream and Sean Kirrane won the Nunthorpe Stakes © Photo Healy Racing
Adam West is heartened ahead of Live In The Dream’s Nunthorpe title defence after a creditable run in defeat at Goodwood.
The chestnut rose steeply through the sprinting ranks last year, starting out in handicaps before stepping up to Listed and the lower Group levels with some admirable placed runs.
He then ran a clear career best when facing Group One company in the Nunthorpe at York, prevailing by a length ahead of Highfield Princess to provide his jockey, trainer and owners with the best day of their racing lives.
A subsequent trip to America for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and the preparatory Woodford Stakes, both ended in fourth-placed finishes, as the gelding refused to return home empty-handed.
This season, the five-year-old started out in the Temple Stakes at Haydock, finishing second by half a length, before returning to the same track to come home fifth when stumbling out of the stalls in the Listed Achilles Stakes.
At Sandown, he lined up for the Coral Charge on soft ground and was unable to dominate as he often does, resulting in a fourth-placed run when beaten three lengths by Ed Walker’s Makarova.
Conditions were more favourable at Goodwood, with the track good to firm for Jason Hart’s first ride on the horse since 2021 following the replacement of former go-to jockey Sean Kirrane.
Though the King George Qatar Stakes is a Group Two, the assembled field gave the race Group One quality, as King Charles III Stakes heroine Asfoora and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Big Evs lined up.
From stall nine, Live In The Dream raced behind the leaders, one of whom was the evidently uncatchable Big Evs, but West’s horse ran a solid race to finish fourth, when beaten a length and three quarters.
“We’re very happy after Goodwood, he probably didn’t quite handle the track as well as others did,” the trainer said.
“I think it sets us up to be a nice thorn between Big Evs and Asfoora for the Nunthorpe, and Bradsell.
“If we could have a four-way battle, that would be brilliant.
“The Czech horse (Ponntos) came across him a bit and he hung a little left under the camber, but he showed his tenacity after that.
“Ironically, there was still a bit of a headwind as the race started, but we won’t be splitting hairs over that.
“The Nunthorpe has always been what Steve (De’Lemos, owner) has asked me to train for, we’ve got enough in the tank to go there with the same chance as we did last year.
“Albeit everyone already knows our style of racing and we’ve suffered a bit from that this year.”
