West dreaming of Palace House success with Live

Trainer rates sprinter his ‘best chance’ of Group honours.

Live In The Dream could be appropriately named if he provides Adam West with the biggest success of his training career in the Howden Palace House Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

The four-year-old is a half-brother to the Epsom handler’s former stable stalwart Live In The Moment and proved highly progressive last season, winning with ease at both Sandown and Chester’s May Festival before producing solid efforts in both the ‘Dash’ at Epsom and when a length second in the Listed Scurry Stakes.

He has proved better than ever since reappearing at four and having started the campaign with back-to-back victories at Lingfield and Pontefract, West believes he could not have the gelding in any better shape ahead of his first crack at Group Three honours.

“I’m very lucky, he’s a tough individual and I’m delighted with how he is going into the race,” said the trainer.

“He has so much confidence and fitness about him now from the two runs that he’s probably looking at over achieving and when the fractions at this level are that narrow, you want that heading into a race.

“He ran second behind Mitbaahy in the Listed race at Sandown last year and that wasn’t too far after the Dash and he had been busy enough then. He thrives on his races but I think by that time of the year, he had just begun to need a bit more time between races and given a little bit of a better start, he could have done a bit more damage.

“He’s sharpened up mentally from three to four. Physically he is the best he’s been. I think he was quite a strong and dominant three-year-old because of his size, but I think mentally he has strengthened up now which was the last piece of the puzzle.”

Live In The Dream ridden by jockey Ryan Moore (right) on their way to winning at Chester
Live In The Dream ridden by jockey Ryan Moore (right) on their way to winning at Chester (Tim Goode/PA)

Live In The Moment took West and owners Steve and Jolene De’Lemos to Meydan in the early part of 2022 and there are high hopes that Live In The Dream could also be set for international competition if he keeps on climbing the sprinting ladder.

“This would be my best chance of a bit of black type for me,” added West.

“The brother Live In The Moment was a standard bearer out in Dubai for us and I’m hoping this horse could take us abroad. If he put another step forward together in this race, then we would be looking at a few turf races out in America at the backend of the year.

“Taking owners to the race before the Guineas is something they could only dream of. Steve is in seventh heaven. Small money and a bit of dedication has resulted in their dreams coming true.”

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