Brutal blow for punters after £15,000 matched on former Cheltenham Festival favourite

PUNTERS suffered a brutal blow after connections of Champion Bumper hero A Dream To Share confirmed he’s to stay on the Flat.

Some £15,000 was matched on last year’s Cheltenham hero for this year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle, formerly known as the Ballymore.

A Dream To Share will remain in bumpers this season after a late decision to put his move to hurdles on holdSportsfile

A Dream To Share was unstoppable last season, winning five bumpers for owner JP McManus, trainer John Kiely and brilliant amateur jockey John Gleeson.

He spent months at the head of the Supreme market, with that race the natural progression for promising bumper horses.

But he has since been usurped by JP’s other horses Mystical Power and Jeriko Du Reponet.

With his price on the drift, the legendary owner’s racing manager Frank Berry confirmed on Thursday that A Dream To Share will return in yet another bumper next month.

He said: “The plan is go for the bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival.

“With the hold-up, he hasn’t got to school as much we’d have liked.

“It’s just been a bit of a delay with him but if all goes well he’ll go to Leopardstown.

“We’ll get him started back anyway but it’s probably getting a bit late to go over hurdles this season.

“It will be great to see him out again and we’re looking forward to it. He’s in great form and John is very happy with him.”

Some £12,455.91 was matched on A Dream To Share for the Supreme on the Betfair Exchange.

While a smaller but not insignificant £2,500 was also matched on him for the Baring Bingham.

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