Shandream back to winning form

Stakes winning mare Shandream posted an overdue win over 1600 metres when she triumphed in the open handicap at Te Rapa on Saturday. The WS graduate was making only her fourth appearance over a distance she had previously shone over.

“She’s a mare who won over a mile early in her career and I’ve always wanted to get her back to the trip,” co-trainer Richard Collett said. “She doesn’t stop and she’s tough.”

The winner of eight races, including the Listed Counties Bowl on her home Pukekohe track, she sat outside the pace and fought off all challengers in the straight. “We worked a bit early to get across and then she relaxed,” rider Vinnie Colgan said. “When I pushed the button she put her down and tried hard.”

A daughter of Pins, the six-year-old Shandream was bought by Collett for $280,000 out of WS’s 2009 Premier Sale draft. The chestnut is a half-sister to five winners, including the stakes performer Doubly Sure (O’Reilly).