Adam West is excited for the Betfred Temple Stakes at Haydock on Saturday to kick off Live In The Dream's season.
The five-year-old had quite the year in 2023 for both his owners, Steve and Jolene De'Lemos, and the trainer headquartered in Epsom. He started the year with a surprising Group One victory at York's Nunthorpe in the height of summer and then went on an American journey that culminated in a tight fourth-place finish at the Breeders' Cup.
Live In The Dream is scheduled to return to Merseyside this weekend after a well-earned Christmas vacation. Although the playing surface may not be optimal, West sees the Group Two match as a fitting beginning to what he hopes will be another unforgettable year.
“You can never be 100 per cent certain, but the intention is to run,” he said. “We considered the entry at Chantilly for next week as a backup, but I think the general feeling from everyone at Haydock is that they’ve reached the worst it’s going to get and the ground took it better than expected. He was only just beaten in soft ground in the Palace House last year and Newmarket is a stiffer track than Haydock. I would prefer it softer than harder for his first run anyway, so we can get a little bit more stuck into him. We’re looking forward to starting his campaign.”
The five-furlong race on Saturday is seen as a stepping stone for Live In The Dream, whose two main goals are to defend his Nunthorpe crown and head back to California in the autumn.
West added: “The Nunthorpe is the main focus and his runs up to the Nunthorpe will be about producing the horse at his best on that day. We could have a dart at the Abbaye if we need to, but as soon as we’ve amassed enough prize money to pay for ourselves, or we’ve got a free ticket, we’ll be saving ourselves for the Breeders’ Cup. The plan after Saturday is to run on home turf at Sandown (Coral Charge) just down the road in six weeks, that will be more pressure for me than the Temple Stakes. I think this will bring him on nicely and hopefully, we can get some confidence into him at Sandown.”