Lucid Dreams and Liam Quinlan© Photo Healy Racing
John Ryan's thoughts have turned to Cheltenham with oversized, 650kg-hurdler Lucid Dreams who today won Killarney's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle and earned high praise from the winning trainer.
Lucid Dreams (6/1) made a belated debut, aged eight, in March and having subsequently won at Ballinrobe and Roscommon in May and June, today returned to winning ways under jockey Liam Quinlan.
Racing prominently, the Arcadio-gelding went by 130-rated leader Tag Man (15/8f) approaching the final flight and went on to score by three and three-parts of a length.
Ryan had previously described Lucid Dreams as “the best I've ever trained” and today echoed those sentiments saying “he is a right horse, a proper one and the best I've ever come across.
“He is a monster, is 17.2hh and will take beating wherever he goes in novice hurdles. I'll take him to Cheltenham in November for the three-mile novice hurdle.”
He added “he is an exceptional jumper of a fence and I'm tempted by chases but the Bowes (family) are cousins of my wife and they always maintained there was lots of money to be won with Limestone Lad over hurdles, so why risk him.
“I'll stay hurdling for now, he probably wants further and the sky's the limit.”
He added “I own him in a three-way partnership with Tommy James and Eoin Banville and I'm delighted for them as they trusted in me and gave me such a beautiful horse. I have his full-sister at home.
“Young Quinlan gave him a very good ride and didn't go after him when they were around him and didn't panic. He gave him a lovely ride.”
