West ‘looking forward’ to Live In The Dream return

Adam West is keen to get Live In The Dream’s season under way in the Betfred Temple Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.

The five-year-old gave the Epsom-based trainer and his owners Steve and Jolene De’Lemos quite a ride in 2023, with his surprise Group One victory in the Nunthorpe at York in high summer followed by an American adventure which ended with him finishing a close-up fourth at the Breeders’ Cup.

Following a well-earned winter break, Live In The Dream is set to make his eagerly-awaited reappearance on Merseyside this weekend – and while underfoot conditions may be softer than ideal, West views the Group Two contest as a suitable starting point to what he hopes will be another memorable year.

“You can never be 100 per cent certain, but the intention is to run,” he said.

“We considered the entry at Chantilly for next week as a back-up, but I think the general feeling from everyone at Haydock is that they’ve reached the worst it’s going to get and the ground took it better than expected.

“He was only just beaten in soft ground in the Palace House last year and Newmarket is a stiffer track than Haydock. I would prefer it softer than harder for his first run anyway, so we can get a little bit more stuck into him.

“We’re looking forward to starting his campaign.”

Saturday’s five-furlong contest is viewed as a stepping-stone for Live In The Dream, with a defence of his Nunthorpe crown and a return to California in the autumn his two primary objectives.

West added: “The Nunthorpe is the main focus and his runs up to the Nunthorpe will be about producing the horse at his best on that day.

“We could have a dart at the Abbaye if we need to, but as soon as we’ve amassed enough prize-money to pay for ourselves, or we’ve got a free ticket, we’ll be saving ourselves for the Breeders’ Cup.

“The plan after Saturday is to run on home turf at Sandown (Coral Charge) just down the road in six weeks’ time, that will be more pressure for me than the Temple Stakes.

“I think this will bring him on nicely and hopefully we can get some confidence into him at Sandown.”