'We may be dreaming - but you have to dream sometimes'

RICHARD FAHEY enjoyed his best season last year and with a formidable team assembled at his Malton stable he is looking forward to the 2006 Turf season with relish and anticipation.

There are no easy pickings at any level these days, but Fahey sent out 79 winners, an impressive tally, although he will probably be reflecting that if a third of the 72 seconds he saddled had won he would have topped the century.

Anna Pavlova contributed three times to the stable score confirming the high regard in which her trainer holds her, and it is no surprise that he believes she is capable of stepping up in class.

She ended her two-year-old term with a fine effort when defying a 6lb penalty in a competitive mile nursery at Doncaster.

Fahey said: "I think a lot of her and hopefully she will improve and stay a bit further, and it is a big help that she is one of the few which will go on any ground.

"We have some big entries and we would like to have a go at the Irish Oaks, but we will probably run her first in the Cheshire Oaks at Chester and take things from there, we may be dreaming - but you have to have a dream sometimes."

The only success for Colorus came first time out on the allweather at Southwell in July and he then finished fourth to Tabaret in a Listed event at Yo rk .

But Fahey is quick to nominate him as one to keep an eye on, saying: "He was still a big baby last season, but he is quite a talented horse who wants fast ground - I think he will be a sprinter, though I hope he might get seven furlongs."

If there is any justice, then a big race or two will come Fonthill Road's way after two desperately close calls in two of last season's hottest sprint handicaps.

He was beaten a short head in the Steward's Cup and the Ayr Gold Cup, and Fahey recalls: "What made it even worse was that on both occasions it looked as if he had won.

"It is difficult to find races for him this season. He is rated 103 and you can hardly believe it that the first handicap he can run in is the Wokingham at Royal Ascot. It is absolutely ridiculous.

"Racecourses don't want to put on races for good horses with decent prize money. They just want to get maximum fields of lesser-class horses for less prize money - we will just have to try and find a Listed or Conditions' race for him, it is so frustrating."

Anyone who saw Mutawafer - who was bought out of the Barry Hills stable for 33,000 guineas - run at York in May on his debut for Fahey would have bet his bottom dollar that a good handicap would come his way. But he had little luck and he drew a blank.

He has done very well over the winter, and Fahey said: "He is rated 87, that is a handy sort of mark. I think six or seven furlongs will suit him, although he does not want firm ground."

St Savarin started last season in style, winning at Haydock (soft ground) first time out in April and he then put up a decent effort at Doncaster the following month, but he did not run again.

Fahey said: "He had a little setback, so we put him away and I think he is one to look forward to early in the season on Turf."

The stable has both Realism and Freeloader, bought for 42,000gns out of the John Hills stable, entered in the Lincoln, but Fahey said: "We will have to see about Realism after he has had a spell in Dubai, while we might try Freeloader jumping.

He won first time out on the Flat and ran some other solid races."

Kings Point, won a Listed race at the Curragh in September.

Fahey said: "We half fancied him for the Royal Hunt Cup at York (Royal Ascot) but he stumbled coming out of the stalls and that was that. But he is another nice horse who loves fast ground and we will be looking at Listed and Group races for him."

There are several newcomers to the stable, including Halla San, bought out of the Lynda Ramsden stable for 55,000gns and a type who is expected to improve with age and appreciate a mile and a quarter, Red Lancer (88,000gns from the Richard Price yard), who showed up well for a long way on his only run for the stable in the November Handicap at Doncaster, and Charlie Tokyo, a 43,000gns buy out of the Richard Hannon stable and a winner first time out in June.

Shaydreambeliever, "a dream horse to train and very tough", is expected to pay his way, and Whitethorne is a stronger filly this year. While her three wins have been at Carlisle, don't be fooled into thinking that the Cumbrian course is the only venue which is capable of bringing the best out of her.

Fahey, who has a team of "80 to 90" with which to go to war, concluded: "We have 25 twoyear-olds including four I bought at Keeneland sales. It was the first time I had been buying in the States and I am pleased with what we got - they look a nice bunch overall. Mind you they always do before they get on a racecourse.

"I just hope Paul Hanagan has a bit more luck this season while Tony Hamilton did well when Paul was sidelined.

"We have a good team at home and, hopefully, we have the ammunition to win a good handicap or two at least."