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Dream Alliance aka Dreamer passed away in retirement. He had two films made about him and his breeder and syndicate. He was well loved in retirement. Rip
Vf x
That was a brilliant film and he was a brilliant and much loved horse of a lifetime.
RIP Dream Alliance ⚘Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...One of the horses that is up there amongst my greatest racing memories. Dream Alliance you are in illustrious company and quite deservedly so. Let’s not forget that, along with the Welsh National he came second to the great Denman as an unfancied outsider ( was that in the Hennessy? I need to check). A horse who, if the story of his life had not been true it would have been the stuff of fantasy: as it is it became the stuff of legend. RIP
In case anyone hasn’t spotted, “Dream Horse” is premiering on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight.
Thanks Tonge, I’ve got a Welsh husband and a horse mad daughter so that might make for some family evening viewing if we get bored watching the Springboks hammering England
I was a bit harsh on England there. They gave it a right good go. Very genuine looking congratulations from Owen Farrell to the Boks straight after the game and a gracious post match interview. I never used to be able to stand him but might have to revise my opinion.
Both daughters conked out ages ago and husband has wandered off so I’ll just watch the second half of the film on real time C4 and toddle off to bed.
“Let’s not forget that, along with the Welsh National he came second to the great Denman as an unfancied outsider ( was that in the Hennessy? I need to check).”
It was…and the film missed it out! Randox also getting a bit of product placement in the Aintree scenes, 9 years before they actually sponsored the National but hey ho. Good peeformances from Toni Collette and Damian Lewis, and at least they’ve used actual thoroughbreds going a decent gallop for the racing scenes.
I hadn’t seen the film before, and it was generally a better attempt at trying to replicate the Dream Alliance narrative than some of the critics gave it credit for. However I was slightly disappointed that it stopped short of Dream Alliance’s attempt to win Don’t I Push it’s National in 2010 (I was there !) for which he was well-fancied at 16/1, but was pulled up. I didn’t think that the portrayal of Philip Hobbs was kind enough either. He’s an extremely talented and sympathetic trainer who has persevered with other injured horses, including Balthazar King, who had a horrid fall the year after he was second in the National, but survived to have a good retirement. (He’s still alive, I think.) Dream Alliance lived until he was 22. What a fabulous horse !
Yes Balthazar king in retirement and enjoying hunting
Dream passed away earlier this year. They had tried but he was in to much pain in his leg x
Moehat yes the documentary is even better
VF x
Hoping to catch it on More 4 both film and documentary which I have seen but will watch again it was so good.
Dream Alliance..Horse of a lifetime
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...“I was slightly disappointed that it stopped short of Dream Alliance’s attempt to win Don’t I Push it’s National in 2010 (I was there !) for which he was well-fancied at 16/1, but was pulled up.”
That would have ruined the happy ending considering his career trailed off into more letters than numbers and he never won again after the Welsh National.“I didn’t think that the portrayal of Philip Hobbs was kind enough either. He’s an extremely talented and sympathetic trainer”
and that would have ruined the story of the salt of the earth, “we’re working class, we are” Welsh from the vaaalleys defying snooty English nobs boring trope the film was flogging. I imagine that if the actor playing Hobbs had tried to get his voice right, the director would’ve told him nope get rid of all the west country out of your accent, we need you to play a posh disdainful English tw*t who is eventually forced to concede that the Welsh non posh horse is good.
For the same reason that the film had him breaking his hurdle maiden at Newbury with an English lackey trying to bar the way to the owners’ and trainers’ and underdog Dream bravely beating some fancied article owned by Lord Posh, as the commentary kept saying (who does that?) when in fact he hacked up at odds on in his maiden at Chepstow.The Welsh husband did actually come and watch about 5 minutes of the film and said “this is rubbish, they’re making us look like clowns” and cleared off to the kitchen.
The whole film is on youtube in case you can’t get it on catch up.
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