Air Force Blue Close Up

King Of Dreams Puts in Determined Gulfstream Performance

King Of Dreams (3c Air Force Blue x Cabbage Key, by A.P. Indy) was stakes placed last out and on Friday went one better at Gulfstream Park.

Racing in an Allowance Optional Claimer over 1 1/8 miles on the turf, King Of Dreams took command early in the race and held a comfortable lead through much of the running. He had his work cut out for him when they entered the stretch, however, when Eamonn tried to steal his position and King Of Dreams had to dig deep to hold him off.

Eamonn stuck his head in front late in the race but King Of Dreams wasn’t putting up with that encroachment and had his nose back in front at the line.

It was the third top two finish in Juan Carlos Avila-trained King Of Dreams’ five starts this year for Victoria’s Ranch. Victoria’s Ranch’s Victor Martinez purchased the big bay for $180,000 as a 2-year-old last year.

Bred by Doug and Felicia Branham, King Of Dreams is out of the multiple stakes-placed Cabbage Key and is a half-brother to Grade II fourth War Academy with the pair two of six winners out of their dam. Cabbage Key is one of four stakes winners for her own dam Mayville’s Magic with the group led by stakes winner Mystic.

King Of Dreams’s third dam is the dam of Grade I winner Gay Gallanta and also a daughter of top broodmare Gay Missile.

Air Force Blue is a top eight second crop sire by number of stakes horses at five with his 30 winners also the eighth best of his crop.