Dreams Of Eric and Harrison Orange in charge at Cambridge last month. PHOTO: Ange Bridson/Race Images.
Dreams Of Eric puts nightmare behind him and is training ‘super’ for Thursday night
By Barry Lichter • 20 August 2025
Dreams Of Eric’s last run at Cambridge turned into a nightmare when he crashed heavily soon after the start.
But, while you might expect his confidence to have been knocked, co-trainer and part-owner Nathan Delany says on the contrary - the little horse is working so well, he thinks he can win on Thursday night, even from the outside of the gate.
“It’s not a great field and I think he can beat them, the way he’s been working.
“He’s still on his game, he’s been training real super, the best he ever has, and he feels sharper all round.”
Delany says that’s a tribute to the toughness of the three-year-old who shied and fell soon after leaving the gate on July 31, believed to have been spooked by children playing along the fence line.
It set off a chain reaction that saw three other runners severely checked and David Butcher catapaulted out of the cart.
Miraculously, no drivers were badly hurt - Eric’s driver Andre Poutama suffered a broken rib, and the horse escaped with only grazing to his knees and a hind leg.
“The way he went down, I thought he’d broken his leg,” Delany said.
It took some time to disentangle Dreams Of Eric from the wreckage of the cart which co-trainer Ray Green said was a complete write-off.
“It was a $9000 cart too, along with the wheels, and they (HRNZ’s sulky fund) give you only $2500,” Green said.
Delany said Dreams Of Eric needed only the weekend off before resuming work and nothing he’s done since indicated he was any the worse for wear.
“We’ll probably change things up this time to make sure he gets his confidence back.”
Instead of blasting to the front, and leading, as Harrison Orange did in his previous start, Delany says he’ll tell him to go back and make a mid-race move.
“Both races Harry has won on him he’s needed luck and the horse has found his own. He does it himself. He’s a tough little horse.”
Delany has set his sights on getting the Vincent colt to the Harness 5000 meeting at Ashburton on December 21, where he can run in a $60,000 race for three-year-old colts and geldings sired by stallions with stud fees of $5000 or lower.
“He’s third in the ranking at the moment and just needs to race another three times to qualify.”
Bookies opened Dreams Of Eric the $3.60 favourite for Cambridge’s fourth race earlier today.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
