Dream Alliance, a former champion racehorse, has been celebrated in a film. The champion, 19, rose to victory in the 2009 Welsh Grand National and is currently enjoying his retirement. He is reported to be enjoying life in Somerset with former stable girl Clare Sandercock. Meanwhile, the 2022 Gold Cup is fast approaching and you can learn more about the great entertaining opportunities offered for the Cheltenham event. Dreamy would have fancied his chances in the race, but he seems to be enjoying his new celebrity status.
His story is inspirational as he started from humble beginnings and triumphing over adversity that came from a severe injury. This story has led him to the big screen in the film Dream Horse. The movie stars Miss Collette, an Australian actress who features as Jan Vokes. She is a supermarket cleaner in real life and hails from the former mining village of Blackwood in South Wales.
Jan Vokes bred the horse on her allotment in Cefn Forest. Additionally, her coalman husband, Brian, is played by Welsh actor Owen Teale. Her fellow villagers fund her venture. Vokes persuaded the locals at Blackwood’s men’s club, where she worked as a barmaid, to offer 10 GBP weekly. The funds will help form a syndicate after she decided to breed a racehorse in 1998.
After buying a mare for 300 GBP at a yard in Llanelli and finding a stallion in Oxfordshire with a racing history, they bred Dreamy. They then sent the chestnut pure breed aged three to trainer Philip Hobbs. The training cost the syndicate 20000 GBP. Dreamy made his debut at Newbury in November 2004.
After one year, he finished second in the Cheltenham Novice Jumpers’ flat race and third in Newsbury’s novices’ race. In January 2006, Dreamy won his fourth race at his local course, Chepstow. Later in April 2007, he won the Perth Gold Cup in Scotland.
Unfortunately, disaster struck in 2008 when Dreamy severed a tendon in his leg as he prepared for the Aintree Grand National. Such kind of injury could mean a horse is put down. However, in a plot twist worthy of Hollywood, he made a comeback. This was after he underwent a pioneering stem cell treatment. On his return from the treatment, he won the Welsh Grand National at odds of 20/1.
He would later retire in 2012 on medical grounds. Dreamy would sometimes burst his lung blood vessels when exerted. Additionally, his lifetime winnings were a total of 138646 GBP. However, the 23 syndicate members received only 1430 GBP after paying vet bills, trainer’s fees, and stabling.
Miss Sandercock, 31, assumed Dreamy’s ownership after he retired. She stated that Dreamy was in good health apart from the odd niggle with his injury. As a result, he receives regular X-rays and scans to ensure all is well with Dreamy. She also revealed that he does race nowadays, but they plod in the country lane.
The new owner also claimed that Dreamy always raced well but had never won again. She also said that even though Dreamy was stubborn and would not race again, he remains her champ.
