'She's paid for her Oaks entry now' - Karl Burke continues fast start to campaign as Making Dreams lands Group 3

Making Dreams made light of extremely testing conditions at Saint-Cloud to pull six lengths clear in the Group 3 Prix Penelope to add to Karl Burke's excellent start to the season. 

Alexis Pouchin had to ensure the daughter of Make Believe maintained concentration as the challengers arrived on either side of her halfway up the straight but she galloped on relentlessly, appearing to relish the extended mile and a quarter. 

Making Dreams finished fifth in the Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville last October, the tenth start of a busy juvenile campaign.

Burke said: "When she came back from France I said to [syndicate manager] Nick Bradley I thought she was a filly who would develop well, she's got a good frame to grow into. She's been training okay but it's only in the last couple of weeks that she started to work well enough to think about going. 

"But when there were only five entries originally we had to go and give it a shot. It was a great run."

The timing of Making Dreams' success could not have been better, with entries for the Betfred Oaks closing on Tuesday morning. 

"She's paid for that entry now and so we'll shove her in and, if it came up soft, as it can do at Epsom sometimes, who knows? We'll get her home and give her a chance to catch her breath but there's every chance she'll go back to France in search of soft ground. It's great to get two Listed races and a Group 3 by April 1."

Tribalist continues love affair

Godolphin's Tribalist shrugged off a four-month break and the attentions of last season's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi to record a second success in the Group 3 Prix Edmond Blanc. 

Tribalist and Mickael Barzalona repeated their victory of 12 months ago in the G3 Prix Edmond BlancCredit: Racing Post / Burton

Repeating the tactics which have made the son of Farhh so hard to beat over a mile at Saint-Cloud, Mickael Barzalona bounced Tribalist out in front and was still able to conserve enough gas to accelerate clear halfway up the straight.

Speaking to French racing channel Equidia, Barzalona said: "He loves it around here. It's not easy to make your comeback on ground this deep but his class told today. I was on the fastest horse in the race and the goal was to avoid him getting involved in a real war in that ground."

Tribalist was last seen finishing nine and a half lengths adrift of Golden Sixty in the Hong Kong Mile last December. Six of his seven victories have come at Saint-Cloud, and Andre Fabre looks likely to attempt the same double as in 2023, that of the Edmond Blanc and Prix du Muguet back here in a month's time.

"We don't know what will turn up [in the Prix du Muguet] but we know he loves Saint-Cloud and when he gets rolling he's not easy to catch," said Barzalona.

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