NEWS
Liam’s Dream breaks through in Cicada
Posted: Saturday, March 20, 2010 7:13 PM
LIAM'S DREAM
Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo
To view the Cicada Stakes, click here.
by Patrick Reed
Liam’s Dream rallied from along the rail in early stretch under a well-timed ride from Rosie Napravnik and proved much the best in the $100,000 Cicada Stakes (G3) on Saturday at Aqueduct.
She defeated Romantic Hideaway by 1 ½ lengths for her first stakes win and gave Napravnik her first career graded stakes victory.
A three-year-old Saint Liam filly, Liam’s Dream moved forward from a third-place finish in the Forward Gal Stakes (G2) on January 31 at Gulfstream Park to earn a breakthrough win, turning the tables on Forward Gal winner and 7-to-10 Cicada favorite Bickersons. Liam’s Dream covered six furlongs in 1:10.10 on a track rated as fast.
Liam’s Dream, the 5.80-to-1 third betting choice, was checked at the start by Napravnik and then settled in fourth as longshot Southern Truth led the seven-horse field through an opening half-mile in :45.34. Bickersons, under Joe Bravo, moved from a stalking second to challenge for the lead on the far turn, followed by stakes winner Romantic Hideaway. Napravnik kept Liam’s Dream near the rail while waiting for an opening.
Southern Truth began to fade at the top of the lane, and the race appeared wide open for a few moments before Liam’s Dream shot through on the inside to settle matters.
“[Liam’s Dream] broke a little awkwardly, but I was able to save ground,” Napravnik said. “In the stretch, when she came through on the rail she really fired. She was very, very game today.”
Romantic Hideaway continued willingly but was second best, finishing 3 ½ lengths ahead of late-closing Indian Burn.
Bickersons had little left in the stretch and faded to sixth, marking her second consecutive unplaced finish after a seven-length romp in the Forward Gal. She entered the Cicada off of a fourth-place finish as the 1.30-to-1 favorite in the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) on February 27 at Gulfstream.
Trained by Anthony Dutrow Jr., Liam’s Dream scored two open-length victories to begin her career at Philadelphia Park in late 2009 before trying stakes company for the first time in the Davona Dale, in which she mounted a rail rally to capture third.
Pennsylvania-bred Liam’s Dream improved her career record to three wins from four starts and earnings of $149,760. She is out of the winning Rubiano mare Danzig’s Dreamer, a half sister to multiple Grade 2 winner and prominent sire Distorted Humor.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Patrick Reed is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
