Dominant Dreamloper puts Walker and Shoemark in dreamland with d'Ispahan win
Sunday: Prix d'Ispahan, Longchamp
Dreamloper secured the first Group 1 victory of her career and continued Kieran Shoemark's brilliant week with a stunning success in the Prix d'Ispahan.
The five-year-old was a narrow winner of the Dahlia Stakes on her comeback at Newmarket this month, but she put clear daylight between her rivals this time as she stormed to a two-length success under Shoemark, who won the feature John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.
Her success gave trainer Ed Walker a second top-level win of his career, having won the July Cup last year with Starman, and it was the same for Shoemark following Lady Bowthorpe's Nassau Stakes victory last season.
Outsider Wally stayed on take second with favourite Pretty Tiger a neck back in third, while last year's Champion Stakes winner Sealiway was a disappointing fifth of the six runners.
Walker said: "Kieran was brilliant on her today. She's never relaxed like that in a race before and he got her beautifully switched off then pressed the button at exactly the right time.
"There are lots of options now she's beaten the boys. I know Sealiway probably didn't get his ground while it played to our strengths, but she's beaten some very good horses there."
More lofty targets could await the daughter of Lope De Vega with Walker eyeing up a tilt at the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood or a possible return to France.
"There's the Prix Rothschild and the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville and I wouldn't be afraid to go a mile and a quarter," he added. "A mile and a quarter at Goodwood where four furlongs of it is downhill, the Nassau could be the perfect race for her."
Walker joked he might be a little worried by taking on Baaeed, but otherwise can see nothing to frighten him in the quest to add to Dreamloper's laurels this summer.
"Now she's got that Group 1 in the bag, it's massive and we can plot a path from here," said Walker. "When she performs like that you'd give her a chance against most."
Dreamloper was a tenth winner for Shoemark in his last 24 rides and comes hot on the heels of Pogo edging the Group 3 John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock.
"She wasn't twitching her head like she did at Newmarket," said Shoemark. "They only went a good, even gallop and she was very responsive to me today, whereas last time she was just fresh.
"Everything she did today really impressed me; the way she came back underneath me and then when I asked her to quicken, God she quickened. She outsprinted them and really she won the race two and a half out."
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