Kiwi star Dont Stop Dreaming following in the footsteps of Blacks A Fake in 2025 Terang Cup
Kiwi star Dont Stop Dreaming’s surprise appearance in Friday night’s Terang Cup adds to the amazingly rich heritage of the western Victorian feature.
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Kiwi star Dont Stop Dreaming’s surprise appearance in Friday night’s Terang Cup adds to the amazingly rich heritage of the western Victorian feature.
The mighty Sokyola won the 2003 Cup as a springboard to winning two Miracle Miles, a plethora of other feature races and almost $1.9m in prizemoney. He returned to Terang to add a second Cup success in 2005.
But it’s the great Blacks A Fake who trumps everyone as the most famous Terang Cup winner.
His trainer-driver Natalie Rasmussen used the 2006 Terang Cup as a key lead-up before the first of a record four Inter Dominion Grand Final wins, which came in Hobart just a few weeks later.
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Blacks A Fake is considered one Australia’s all-time greatest pacers and still holds the Australasian prize money record with $4,575,438.
More recently, Arden Rooney won the Terang Cup soon after his shock Hunter Cup upset win in 2015. He then went on to become the first Aussie pacer in 28 years to win the iconic NZ Cup.
Like all those superstars, Dont Stop Dreaming is already a millionaire pacer with 36 starts for 15 wins, 13 placings and $1,100,070.
In 2021, trainer Anthony Butt used a Terang Cup win to propel the injury-plagued Wolf Stride to win a Miracle Mile qualifier and then run third in the Miracle Mile itself.
Dont Stop Dreaming’s fantastic second to Leap To Fame in the Cranbourne Cup has his trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon aiming him at the Miracle Mile, too.
THE CHAMP GOES BACK-TO-BACK!
— The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) February 8, 2025
Another successful raid by the Queenslanders Grant Dixon and Leap To Fame, who secure a second-straight victory in the Decron Cranbourne Gold Cup! pic.twitter.com/Slk8xnbZLZ
“This just fits really well,” Mark Purdon said.
“He’s come through Cranbourne well and we decided to keep him down in Victoria for another week and give him the Terang run instead of going to Sydney earlier.
“He’ll go from this to the (Miracle Mile) qualifiers at Menangle (on March 1).”
A thrilled Kate Gath gets to keep the drive on Dont Stop Dreaming after partnering him for the first time at Cranbourne.
“He was fantastic (at Cranbourne). Once Leap To Fame found the lead, I knew I couldn’t sit back, but they ran home in super times and he just kept chasing the winner all the way,” she said.
“I heard Grant (Dixon, Leap To Fame’s trainer-driver) say he was a bit surprised he couldn’t shake us off, so that’s a real credit to Dont Stop Dreaming.
“I knew I was just warming the seat at Cranbourne, so it’s a thrill to get another chance to drive him this week.
“It’s certainly an easier race, but he’s got that back row draw to overcome. If he runs up to last week, he’s going to be very hard to beat.”
It’s a big night for Gath, who also drives her own stable’s star, Catch A Wave, in a support race as he tunes up for another tilt at the Miracle Mile, which he won two years ago.
"It's the Chariots, Miracle Mile Double" were the words from Race Caller @HastingsFred after Catch A Wave had crossed the winning post in the $1,000,000 @GarrardsHnH Miracle Mile!✨
— Club Menangle (@ClubMenangle) March 6, 2023
Watch the moment Catch A Wave and @GathRacing became the 2023 Miracle Mile champions. pic.twitter.com/yV8oVxQQpW
“He’s well. We could’ve run him in the (Terang) Cup, but we were keen to keep him in sprint races ahead of the Miracle Mile,” she said.
“We thought his run was fantastic at Melton in that 1200m race under the circumstances two weeks ago.
“This run should top him off nicely for Sydney where we know he’s going to have to be at the top of his game just to get a run in the Miracle Mile given there’s so much talent around at the moment.”
• Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp
Originally published as Kiwi star Dont Stop Dreaming following in the footsteps of Blacks A Fake in 2025 Terang Cup
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