She started off her career so promising, announcing herself with a bang, drawing off impressively over the Keeneland synthetics. The nearly white filly, Dancinginherdreams, a daughter of the hot sire Tapit, then was sent to Churchill Downs. In her stakes debut and first time trying the dirt, Dancinginherdreams ran away from her competition yet again. Her, John Ward, raved about her talent and maturity, only adding to the growing speculation that she could perhaps be the next year's Kentucky Oaks winner.
Next year came and Ward entered his promising pupil in the seven furlong Forward Gal where she ran a rapidly closing second to Pomeroy's Pistol. Not the return we all were hoping for, but an encouraging beginning to say the least, especially when considering how well she closed over a track not know for it's kindness towards deep closers. In her next start, the mile Davona Dale, the highly regarded filly ran second again, this time to R Heat Lightning, currently the Oaks favorite. Dancinginherdreams would then leave Gulfstream, bypassing the Gulfstream Oaks in favor of the Ashland Stakes at Keeleland, the sight of her dominating maiden victory.
Even I believe that the Tapit filly would return to her winning ways here. She had an impressive victory over the track and did not have to run over a very speed biased track. I believed she would turn in a big effort, but when Saturday came she turned in the worst finish of her career, finishing a well beaten ninth.
What happened? Has Dancinginherdreams simply not progressed from her promising juvenile form? Was her loss due to the possibility of not liking the track? I know she won at Keeneland, and it was an impressive win, however, that was against maidens not stakes winners. Is it possible that she is a one track horse? Look at Win Willy. Who would've thought he would take down a mighty looking Misremembered. But Oaklawn is his track and he got the pace he was looking for. Win Willy is mediocre at best when racing elsewhere, but at Oaklawn he is a force to be reckoned with. Could it be that elsewhere Dancinginherdreams is simply just good, but she's a Churchill freak?
This was a freaky weekend and with many favorites falling victim to some unorthodox circumstance or another I am willing to toss the Ashland out. It was the only truly bad performance of the consistent filly's career, and I would wager that when she gets back to Churchill she will come alive again to light up the tote board.
Her Ashland performance really puzzled me. There must be something going on with her that we don't know about, maybe it's physical. She is able to run with the best of them she's proven that but it's been a backward year for her so far. I hope she returns to form before the Oaks and makes a big impact.
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