We Have A Dream and Daryl Jacob are clear at the last© Photo Healy Racing
We Have A Dream made up for missing Cheltenham with an easy success in the Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree.
Ruled out of the JCB Triumph Hurdle in the days leading up to the Festival, the Nicky Henderson-trained youngster never had an anxious moment in gaining significant compensation on Merseyside.
Daryl Jacob took up the running a long way from home, and only Philip Hobbs' Gumball put up any sort of challenge to the 2-1 winner, coming home seven lengths back in second. Apple's Shakira a stablemate of the winner, was ridden patiently by Barry Geraghty, but could only stay on into a well-beaten third despite being sent off the 13-8 favourite.
We Have A Dream has now won five on the bounce and connections will be dreaming of next season and all the top hurdle races.
Jacob said: "He's a beautiful horse. From day one at Warwick I thought this lad might be a bit special. I think he is. We're hoping he's got a massive future. I think this fellow will be even better again when he steps up to two and a half (miles)."
Henderson said: "He was a sick horse. There was not much of a question of missing it (Cheltenham). At the time it was frustrating missing it and I said to the boys we couldn't have gone there, but on the other hand maybe that was the best thing about that. Maybe he's a fresh horse.
"He was always enjoying himself there. He was fresh and well. But he was pretty sick. On that Monday morning his manger hadn't been touched and he had a temperature. We've had four weeks and that was quick enough.
"He is a good horse and that was a good performance, but none of the first three in the Triumph Hurdle have turned up. Let's sit back and enjoy that. He is unbeaten through the year and has won two Grade One races.
"He has got his life in front of him and has not stopped improving all season. That is it for the season."
He said of Apple's Shakira: "Barry said she was just a bit flat. She settled better today and travelled well, but she flattened out a bit."
Hobbs said of the runner-up: "Richard (Johnson) says the ground helped him as much as anything else. That was probably the main thing, although we wondered whether the flatter track maybe helped as well.
"He's obviously been disappointing and we weren't quite sure of the reason. The ground is pretty soft, but it's not as soft as Cheltenham, where it was very soft.
"He's not entered at Punchestown. We'll see what there is. I just wondered about the Swinton Hurdle (at Haydock). Hopefully you'd get better ground and four-year-olds would get a weight allowance."
Looking ahead to next season, the Minehead trainer added: "He has just about enough size to jump a fence, but his jumping has been a bit of an issue. I'd be thinking of the hurdling route to start with."
