Seven-year-old mare Must Be Dreaming pulled off a notable victory (morning odds of 25/1, returned at 13/2) in first-time cheekpieces at Tramore, winning the opening Tote.ie Handicap Chase for trainer Garrett Ahern and jockey John Shinnick.
A previous winner of a 2022 Wexford handicap hurdle, Must Be Dreaming had struggled in her last two outings but made a strong move from off the pace today to take the lead after the second-last, finishing 4.5 lengths ahead of runner-up Prince Of Air.
Trainer Ahern commented, "She has loads of ability but often decides when to show it. I haven't spoken to Ger (Gubbins, owner) yet, but after this, I think we'll run her in better company with smaller fields moving forward. Based on her work at home, you'd think she should be rated around 120, but she hasn't always shown that on the track. We thought we had a good one after her win in Wexford, and she finished fourth in a Listed race at Galway, but then she regressed."
Jockeys were wearing black armbands in memory of Willie Hanlon, the late father of John 'Shark' Hanlon.