More Stratum Stakes Success for Contract Racing

David and Jenny Moodie of Contract Racing have bred a lot of good horses carrying the ‘Crystal’ prefix including Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily and cheered home her three-quarter brother-in-blood Crystal Dreamer to win the Group III MRC Heath Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

A seven year-old gelding by Stratum, the Matt Ellerton and Simon Zahra trained Crystal Dreamer has had his share of niggling injuries and was resuming from a long spell of nearly a year in the 1100 metre sprint.

Crystal Dreamer raced up on the pace and always looked a contender before forging clear to win by half a length.

“He’s not the soundest horse, although you’d never know it looking at his record,” said Matt Ellerton adding a suspensory ligament had been the latest issue to sideline Crystal Dreamer.

“It’s just fantastic to see him back like that today.”

With 11 wins and eight placings from 28 starts, Crystal Dreamer has been very consistent and while he might lack the glamour of the ill-fated Crystal Lily, he has banked over $590,000 for connections.

A multiple stakes-winner, Crystal Dreamer is the best of six winners from stakes-winner Crystal Wit, a half-sister to Crystal Lily and stakes-winners Amaethon and Crystal Web from top producer Crystal Snip.

Crystal Dreamer is one of 41 stakes-winners for Widden Stud’s much missed sire Stratum, whose place on the Widden roster has been filled by his dual Group I winning son Stratum Star.