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RACING HISTORY

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

It is no surprise Vin Devery has put Dreamy Atom back in foal to Badlands Hanover. The other product of that mating is Western Dream, which led for the last mile and won the $100,000 Nevele R Fillies Series Final at Addington with the comfort a hot favourite should. It could not have been much easier.

Alinghi ran up boldly before the corner and looked a worry for a time. But other than that flurry, there was nothing of matter for the final 15 seconds except the gap to second, and if Alinghi would hold it - which she did not.

Dreamy Atom has been a gem for Devery and his wife, Daphne. The Soky's Atom mare won six races and was 2-year-old Filly of the Year in 1998. As a broodmare, she has been a source of good income, having left Happy Dreamer which was sold to the U.S. after two starts here; Dream Royale, which won her 13th race at the weekend in Queensland; the Tim Butt trained middle-grader Presidential Dream, and Western Dream, the best of them all. She has raced only 16 times, and won 12. Her stakes are more than $260,000, and there is fair expectation it will be close to $300,000 with another high placing in the Oaks on Friday night. The Devery's have one more from Dreamy Atom to come, a filly by Artiscape, which is being weaned anytime soon.

The Artiscape is one of only two foals they bred this season. The other is a Julius Caesar colt from a Smooth Fella mare; two others died soon after foaling. To supplement numbers, a Badlands Hanover-No Time Franco filly was bought at this year's PGG Wrightson Sale.

There is still much ahead of Western Dream. She will contest the Australian Oaks in late July, and she has the Breeders' Crown heats and, in mid August, the Final. "We plan to give her a spring spell and bring her back for the mares' races in late summer and autumn," said Vin. He recalled that his success has come a long way since the time he raced the Johnny Globe mare Facetious with his brothers, Alan and Ray. "She won four of five, and it the fourth grandam of Western Dream," he said.

Western Dream is three short of equalling the number of wins by the Devery's former star, Honkin Vision. "He won fifteen, And every Cup Week when we come up, we call in and see him on the way home. We always look forward to that," he said.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 17May06