Handicap mark granted through an appeal, yet remain ineligible for Cesarewitch after a successful dream to compete
In a surprising turn of events, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) has allowed an appeal by the connections of A Dream To Share, a horse owned by JP McManus and trained by John and Thomas Kiely. The appeal was made regarding the decision by Irish handicapper Gary OβGorman not to provide a handicap mark for the horse, which left A Dream To Share ineligible for the Cesarewitch at Newmarket next month.
The controversy began after A Dream To Share's impressive win in a Leopardstown maiden over 1m7f in June. This victory came following two fourth-place finishes in separate maidens at the Curragh, one over 7f and the other over a mile. Despite these results, the handicapper decided not to provide a mark for the horse.
The decision not to provide a mark meant that A Dream To Share would not be eligible for the Cesarewitch, a popular handicap steeplechase run at Newmarket every October. The IHRB has now remitted the matter back to the handicapper with the direction to allocate a handicap mark to the horse.
However, it is important to note that the horse remains ineligible to run in the Cesarewitch due to the race's specific conditions. The weights for the Cesarewitch were published on August 27, and the race's conditions state that the qualifying rating is the one published on August 19, before the weights were published. As A Dream To Share had no published rating on either August 19 or August 27, the horse remains ineligible.
The BHA has clarified that the rating used for qualification is the one published on August 19, before the weights were published on August 27. This clarification seems to have been overlooked in the initial decision not to provide a mark for A Dream To Share.
The reasons for the decision not to provide a mark will be provided in writing no later than September 12, 2025. The appeals body has not yet provided reasons for their decision to give A Dream To Share a handicap mark.
A Dream To Share is a horse with an impressive racing career. Before this controversy, the horse had achieved a significant victory at the Cheltenham Festival in 2023, winning the Champion Bumper. The horse has been campaigned on the Flat this season, and the decision not to provide a mark has caused a stir in the racing community.
The horse's connections have lodged separate appeals with the IHRB and the BHA's handicap ombudsman, and the IHRB's decision to allow the appeal is a welcome development for the horse's team. However, the horse's ineligibility for the Cesarewitch remains a challenge that will need to be addressed in the coming days.
As the situation unfolds, racing fans and enthusiasts will be keeping a close eye on developments regarding A Dream To Share's eligibility for the Cesarewitch. The horse's impressive racing career and recent victory at Leopardstown have generated a lot of interest, and many will be hoping for a resolution that allows the horse to compete in the popular handicap steeplechase.
