Racing: Kiwi filly chasing Oaks dream in Adelaide

Savvy Dreams at Hawkes Bay. Photo / Race Images

The connections of Savvy Dreams have been encouraged to try their luck in Australia off the back of Bonneval's weekend success.

The Hastings filly will board a flight for Melbourne tomorrow and from there she will head to Adelaide.

"She'll run in the Auraria Stakes, a group three race over 1800 metres, on April 22 and we'll use that as a lead-up to the group one Australasian Oaks," said Guy Lowry, who prepares the Savabeel filly with Grant Cullen.

"She's not Bonneval, but she's not that far off her either." Savvy Dreams ran the Cambridge filly, so impressive in Saturday's Australian Oaks at Randwick, to a half-head in the group three Lowland Stakes and was then three lengths astern of Bonneval when third in the group one New Zealand Oaks.

Paul Gatt has been booked to ride Savvy Dreams in her Australian debut and Craig Williams will take the reins in the Oaks.

"We'll see how she goes and there are the options of the Derby a week later and then the South Australian Oaks as well," Lowry said. "Our biggest worry is the travel. She doesn't carry a lot of condition, but her work has been first class."

Savvy Dreams won't be lonely on the trip either with her in-form stablemate Lamborghini to accompany her.

The six-year-old has won two of his last three starts, including the Waipukurau Cup.

"We were going to run him in the Hawke's Bay Cup on Saturday, but the weather doesn't look too good and he needs a firm track," Lowry said.

Jumps maestro John Wheeler will be shooting for his 10th win in the Great Eastern Steeplechase at Oakbank on Easter Monday.

The New Plymouth trainer will be relying on Racquetor to take him into double figures in the 4950m feature.

"He'll run on the Saturday (Von Doussa) and then the Monday (Great Eastern) and he's a pretty handy horse so I'd be expecting him to run pretty well," Wheeler said.

- NZ Racing Desk