Star of Kodiak wires the field at Arlington Park in race #9 on 09/24/20!

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09/24/20 | Arlington Heights, IL – Dare To Dream Stable’s 4 yr old Star Of Kodiak was looking to get back on track and find his form that he displayed over last fall and winter. Fortunately he had been training well in advance of this one mile turf event, and it all came together as Star really shined on this Sunny afternoon at Arlington Park.

Star Of Kodiak would be breaking from the outside in this full field of eleven turf runners. With this post it was paramount that jockey Jose Lopez hustle Star out and gain a nice position so he wouldn’t be hung out wide into the first turn. Well it worked out better than expected as Star Of Kodiak broke like a rocket and easily gained a ground saving position while inheriting the lead without much effort. They went the opening half mile in 48.99 while Jose had the son of Ready’s Image on a very comfortable 2 length lead. They maintained that advantage on the backside and through the turn, and it never really looked like anybody was really threatening Star. Once they reached the top of the stretch Jose let Star out a notch and he kicked clear rather easily to cross the wire by an emphatic 3 1/2 lengths in a snappy final time of 1:36.87 This was Star Of Kodiak’s third victory in 14 starts. He also has 2 seconds, and 3 thirds to go along with that and career earnings of $107,545.

Congratulations to our trainer Chris Davis and his assistant Mynor Ortiz who enjoyed a pretty terrific day as this win made it a hat trick for the day. Quite an accomplishment as it’s hard enough to win a single race, yet alone three on a day. If that wasn’t impressive enough, our regular rider Jose Lopez also enjoyed a career day winning four races on the 9 race card. Glad we were able to cap off that four bagger with the win aboard Star Of Kodiak. Finally to all our loyal partners a hearty congratulations on this very satisfying victory!

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Merlin’s Song wins allowance at Arlington Park in race #4 on 09/19/20!

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09/19/20 | Arlington Heights, IL – Dare To Dream Stable’s 4 yr old gelding Merlin’s Song proved every step of the way that he was best on this day. The son of Magician (IRE) was coming off a pretty good effort in his previous race, but it was time for him to get back to his winning ways. Merlin’s Song drew the rail in this field of eight other turf allowance competitors.

Regular rider Jose Lopez was aboard Merlin for the third straight start, and was given instructions to hustle Merlin out of the gate to either get the lead or secure a nice stalking position. When the gate sprung open, Merlin was able to get the lead rather easily with no one else really wanting it. From that point it was Jose Lopez’s job to try and control the pace while saving enough for the anticipated stretch duel. Jose did a nice job on the lead as he had Merlin on the lead through an opening half mile in 49.11 while keeping his closest pursuer 1-2 lengths at bay. As they reached the bend, Merlin was confronted on the outside past the 3/8th’s pole by War Chest. Merlin was not fazed as he turned him away and held off all the other closers to cross the wire with a 1/2 length to spare in a final time of 1:37.93 on a turf course rated good.

Congratulations to all our Dare To Dream Stable partners! This was Merlin’s 2nd win out of three starts at the abbreviated Arlington Park meet. It was his third career win to go along with 2 seconds and 3 thirds with earnings of $76,521. It was a fantastic training job by Chris Davis, Mynor Ortiz, and the entire team as Merlin has really started to flourish this summer. Finally Congratulations to Jockey Jose Lopez who is having a fantastic meet and becoming a jockey that is pretty tough to get past once he gets on the lead!

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Quick Tempo wins Maiden Special Weight at Arlington Park in race #5 on 08/20/20!

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08/20/20 | Arlington Heights, IL – Dare To Dream Stable’s Quick Tempo made his debut a winning one in emphatic fashion! Recently purchased at the OBS April sale, this athletic son of Tapizar had been training very forwardly for his debut.

With the field reduced to five after a number of scratches, it was important that Quick Tempo break alertly and get the advantage on the favored even money high priced auction purchase Tightrope trained by Larry Rivelli. When the gates sprung open, jockey Jose Lopez did a fantastic job beating the Rivelli charge to the lead. They blistered through an opening quarter of 21.59 while maintaining a one length lead on Tightrope. As they rounded the turn in this short 4 1/2 furlong dash, Jose gave Quick Tempo a little nudge and he began to kick clear. When they reached the top of the stretch, Quick Tempo was long gone and he just coasted home as Jose gave him one more tap of the crop to cruise home under the wire in a snappy time of 51.59 for the 4 1/2 furlongs. It was quite a debut and it looks like this boy has a bright future ahead of him.

Congratulations to all the DTD partners who received immediate dividends from their OBS purchase. Trainer Chris Davis, assistant Mynor Ortiz, and the entire team did a fantastic job getting this colt ready at first asking. Finally, once again Jose Lopez proved tough to catch once he inherits the lead and continues his terrific Arlington meet.

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Desert Swarm wins at Los Alamitos Race Course on 7/3/20 in race #1

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7/3/20 | Los Alamitos, CA – Dare To Dream Stable’s Desert Swarm absolutely dominated a group of maiden claimers today at Los Alamitos Race Course in the opening race of the day, winning by 7 widening lengths.  Despite hesitating at the start (which has become an unfortunate habit to date), jockey Tiago Pereira got after Desert Swarm right away in order to secure the lead a furlong into the 5.5 furling contest.

Traveling beautifully and looking very comfortable on the lead, Desert Swarm maintained a 2 length advantage through the opening 3 furlongs. Tiago Pereira called on Desert Swarm for some more coming off the turn and he opened up a 4.5 length lead into the top of the stretch with plenty more in the tank. Desert Swarm powered through the stretch to cross the wire a 7 length winner.

Congrats to all the happy Dare To Dream Stable partners as well as trainer Brian Koriner and jockey Tiago Pereira.

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Star of Kodiak wins at Keeneland Race Course on 10/19/19 in race #10

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10/19/19 | Lexington, KY – Dare To Dream Stable’s Star of Kodiak may not have shocked his connections, but he sure shocked the betting public at Keeneland today in race #10! The 3-year-old son of Ready’s Image used a powerful, sweeping move to circle a tough field of allowance horses and out finish the favored Chad Brown trainee Sayyaff to win the 5 1/2 furlong turf event at odds of 23-1. Star of Kodiak was coming off an ultra-impressive maiden victory in his first start on the grass at Arlington Park last time out. Dare To Dream Stable’s trainer Chris Davis was pretty confident that “Star” would take another move forward based on how he was training and boy was Chris right.

In a full field of 12 in the $73,000 allowance event, Star of Kodiak drew the outside 11 post under the guidance of regular stable rider Mitchell Murrill. The handsome dark bay son of Ready’s Image broke beautifully. He immediately was put in a terrific position by Murrill outside the leading pack in the clear. After the opening quarter, which was run in 22.0 flat, Star of Kodiak was in 6th but just a few lengths off the leaders. With seemingly a ton of momentum, Murrill swung “Star” into the six path in the turn. When they completed the turn, Murrill got after Star, who started picking off horses one by one and set his sights on the favored Sayyaff who had built up a two-length lead. Star of Kodiak continued to rally down the lane and drove past Sayyaff in the final stages to be 3/4 clear at the wire in a snappy final time of 1:03.10. It was another 2 1/2 lengths to the 3rd place finisher. This was Star of Kodiak’s 2nd victory to go along with a second-place finish in five starts with earnings of $60,780.

A big hearty congrats to all the happy partners, many of whom took advantage of the generous odds to leave them all a little wealthier than when they woke up that morning. Kudos to young gun trainer Chris Davis, his assistant Mynor Ortiz, and the entire staff on an incredible training job. Star of Kodiak has really progressed over the past few months and now has a very bright future, including some forays into stakes company. Finally, to our guy Mitchell Murrill who once again gave us a terrific ride and was very confident in “Star” after working him the past two times in the morning. Mitchell rode a picture-perfect race and showed again he can ride with the best of them.

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Rainbow Warrior wins at Penn National Race Course on 10/12/19 in race #8

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10/12/19 | Grantville, PA – Dare To Dream Stable’s improving 3 yr old filly Rainbow Warrior is starting to figure it out and has become a very competitive racehorse. After a recent tough loss by a half-length, and then an easy maiden score, Rainbow Warrior was seeking her second consecutive victory at Penn National Race Course. Facing winners for the first time, Rainbow Warrior would go to post as the clear 8/5 favorite in a 9 horse field of routers. Once again, jockey Julio Hernandez would be aboard the gorgeous chestnut daughter of Verrazano. “The Warrior broke well, and Hernandez had Rainbow Warrior stalking the early leader while being 2 wide. “The Warrior” remained in a great spot on the backside right on the throat latches of leader On Magic Wings. At the 3/4’s marker, Hernandez decide it was time to go and went right by the leader. Midway through the turn, she started to take command, and once they reached the stretch, it was game over! Rainbow Warrior drew off under brisk urging to cross the wire in dominant fashion by a widening 7 lengths to score back to back victories. “The Warrior” now has 2 wins and 2 third-place finishes in her 8 race career.

Congratulations to all Dare To Dream Stable partners who have patiently waited for Rainbow Warrior to figure it out, and their patience is now being rewarded. Another fantastic training job by Mike Stidham, Hilary Pridham, Ben Trask, and the entire team for getting the most out of Rainbow Warrior. Finally, to jockey Julio Hernandez who has developed an excellent relationship with “The Warrior” riding her to back to back victories and making them look easy!

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Hold My Call wins at Belmont Park on 10/05/19 in race #2!

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10/05/19 | Elmont, NY – Dare To Dream Stable’s 2 yr old NY bred colt Hold My Call left a field of 8 maiden sprinters in his dust in scoring the first win of his young career at Belmont Park. Hold My Call was coming off back to back 4th place finishes while flashing his early speed before tiring in the final furlong. This time with blinkers added for this sprint Hold My Call would have none of that. The stunning chestnut colt by Hold Me Back broke sharply, and jockey Luis Saez put Hold My Call right into the race from the get-go. Saez had Hold My Call sitting 2nd just off the pace while being confidently ridden. At the five-sixteenths marker, he took charge leaving that station and responded well when Saez asked the chestnut for his best. In the stretch, the race was over, and it was just a matter of how many lengths Hold My Call would win by. Deep down the lane, Saez was in cruise control, and hand rode Hold My Call to the wire winning by a comfortable 4 lengths over second-place finisher Blues City. With this victory, Hold My Call has earnings of $33,700 in his brief career.

Congratulations to the Dare To Dream Stable Partners on this excellent maiden victory. Kudos to trainer Robert Falcone Jr. and his entire team for a fabulous job getting Hold My Call ready for a peak performance. He made a nice equipment change adding blinkers for this race, and that was a key factor in getting the best effort out of the colt. Finally, to outstanding jockey Luis Saez who once again showed why he is regarded as one of the top jockeys in the country. When Saez gets a horse to the front, it usually game over, and that’s what happened on this day!

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Busy Paynter wins at Los Alamitos Race Course on 09/21/19 in race #3

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09/21/19 | Los Alamitos, CA – Dare To Dream Stable’s 3 yr old filly Busy Paynter put it all together and easily dispatched her five rivals in breaking her maiden by a resounding 7 lengths at Los Alamitos Race Course. “Busy” was coming off a disappointing performance last time out in which she ran into a runaway winner, but didn’t finish the way she was expected to. With that in mind, Busy Paynter was wheeled back in 8 days for this six furlong sprint. With jockey Tiago Pereira back aboard, the good looking bay daughter of Paynter was expected to track the pacesetter Colonel Power, and hopefully, take over in the stretch. When the gates popped open, “Busy” as expected stalked the speed while going a snappy 21.77 for the opening quarter. As they approached the half mile marker, Pereira asked Busy Paynter a bit earlier than expected as he noticed Colonel Power starting to back up. As they completed the half mile in 45.32, Busy Paynter was now on the lead. She then started to kick it in around the bend and steadily begun to draw away in the stretch. Once they were in deep stretch, Pereira just hand urged Busy Paynter to the wire in a snappy time of 1:09.84 with a winning margin of 7 lengths. This was Busy Paynter’s first victory to go along with one third-place finish in 5 career starts and earnings of $15,211.

Congratulations to the partners on this resounding victory! It was a really nice training job by Brian Koriner who has always had confidence in “Busy” and finally got it all out of her. Brian looks forward to continued improvement from this up and coming filly. Kudos to jockey Tiago Pereira on a fantastic ride. He pushed all the right buttons and really took it to the field!

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Rainbow Warrior wins at Penn National Race Course on 09/19/19 in race #7

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09/19/19 | Grantville, PA – Dare To Dream Stable’s 3-year-old filly Rainbow Warrior broke through the maiden ranks with a gutty victory at Penn National Race Course. Rainbow Warrior was coming off her previous best effort and one that should have been a winning one last time out at Monmouth Park. Unfortunately, she just got beat at the wire after setting the pace and battling from start to finish to lose by 1/2 length. This time around, “The Warrior” would settle for nothing less other than a victory! The stunning chestnut daughter of Verrazano would go off odds on in the 6 horse field going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. With jockey Julio Hernandez aboard, Rainbow Warrior broke alertly and was put in a stalking position around the first turn. Hernandez remained in that position on the backside never more than two lengths off the leading pair after moderate splits of 24.60 and 49.40 through a half-mile. Hernandez and “The Warrior” began to creep up through three quarters timed in 1:14.67 as she was now only a measured length off the leader Big Shot. On the final turn, Hernandez moved three-wide into the last bend and engaged with Big Shot. As they turned for home, Rainbow Warrior was carried out in the stretch as Big Shot bore out badly forcing Rainbow Warrior far out through the sixteenth. There was then quite a bit of bumping through deep stretch to the wire with Rainbow Warrior gallantly fighting and out finishing Big Shot to the finish by a neck. It was quite an effort from “The Warrior” considering she was interfered with several times. She almost certainly would have been moved up via DQ but showed immense determination to get the job done and not leave it up to the stewards. Along with this first score, Rainbow Warrior has 2 third-place finishes in her seven-race career.

Congratulations to the partners on this sweet victory. Also, congrats to trainer Mike Stidham, Hilary Pridham, Ben Trask, and the entire team. Rainbow Warrior has really improved from her 2-year-old season and has shown she wants to be a racehorse and win races. Thanks to jockey Julio Hernandez who was riding for Dare To Dream Stable for the first time, and made it a terrific debut. He rode with high confidence and knew he was on the best horse and made sure it didn’t come down to a stewards decision.

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Embolden wins the $100,000 Jamestown Stakes at Colonial Downs on 09/07/19 in race 6!

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09/07/19 | New Kent, VA – Dare To Dream Stable’s ultra-talented 2 yr old colt Embolden once again dazzled and easily put away a field of 9 Virginia Breds in the 100k Jamestown Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Colonial Downs. On paper, this appeared to be a two-horse race with Embolden and the ballyhooed filly Bella Aurora. The latter had scored a super impressive victory against open company in a turf sprint at Laurel Park last run. Embolden was coming off the easiest of victories in his turf bow last month, winning by over ten lengths. So as expected, this gray son of The Factor would go off as the heavy favorite in his stakes debut. As it turned out, they would run 1-2, but on this day it was all about Embolden who was once again the easiest of winners.

Once again when the gates opened, Embolden was quickest and immediately went to the lead with jockey Trevor McCarthy aboard for the first time. He cruised through an unhurried opening quarter in 22.72 while maintaining a short edge with McCarthy just sitting on the classy gray colt. Like his previous race, The Gray Camanoe tried to take it to Embolden early and once again he shook off that rival with ease as he began to open up on the field. As they straightened for home, there was only one order of business to clean up, and that was to fend off the challenge of Bella Aurora who’s connections must have been hoping that the early pace pressure would take its toll on Embolden and they could surge past in the stretch. Unfortunately for them Embolden had plenty left in the tank, and when the 5-2 second choice tried to move up and engage with “Big E,” McCarthy just shook the reins a bit and easily spurted away without ever being challenged. In deep stretch, McCarthy just sat on the classy champ as he continued to widen his lead and coasted under the wire by 3 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:02.80. It was another 7 1/4 lengths to the 3rd place finisher showing how much the best the top two were, and more astoundingly how much the best Embolden was. With this victory earning him $60,000 Embolden has now made $99,000 in his brief 3 race career. To go along with his 2nd place dirt debut, Embolden is now a perfect 2 for 2 on turf and has a very bright future. It looks like it’s time to test the waters in open stakes company and see if he can take us to the Breeders Cup!

Congratulations to all the happy and excited Dare To Dream Stable partners. With good reason, there is excitement to see where this journey goes next. Kudos to trainer Michael Stidham, Hilary Pridham, Ben Trask, and the entire team. They have been high on Embolden from day one, and he continues to dazzle and improve with each start. Finally to jockey Trevor McCarthy who rode the colt for the first time, but you would never know as he was in complete command from the onset and was all smiles after the race. He compared riding Embolden to driving a Ferrari and said there is still much more in the tank as he never even got close to putting him in full gear.

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