JOHN Kiely and the Gleeson family are setting their sights on Cheltenham Festival glory with highly-exciting homebred A Dream To Share, who showed an impressive turn of foot to maintain his unbeaten record in the Grade 2 Shabra Charity Oliver Brady Memorial Future Stars Bumper.

Ridden by talented young amateur John Gleeson, owned by his mother Claire Gleeson and bred by RTÉ Racing presenter Brian Gleeson’s Brucetown Farms, the five-year-old by Muhaarar is now priced between 4/1 and 8/1 (from 33/1) for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper after seeing off Leopardstown Christmas Festival winner Fact To File by two and three quarters of a length in fine style.

Victory for the 12/1 shot marked a first winner at the Dublin Racing Festival for Kiely, who turns 86 in May. It was also quite the training performance from the Dungarvan, Co Waterford handler, given A Dream To Share was making his first start since winning back-to-back bumpers at Tipperary and Roscommon last May and June.

Asked about his expectations before the €100,000 event, Kiely said: “I honestly didn’t know because we don’t have too much to work him with at home, but we’ve always liked this horse from the beginning.

“We were wondering how good the race was at Tipperary, and then he seemed to have to struggle a little before winning at Roscommon. Until you come out and find out here, you don’t know. He gave weight to the whole field too.

“We felt he was above average from an early stage, and we were anxious that he would bring John Gleeson along - that’s why we waited for this race. We would have gone hurdling other than that.”

Brian Gleeson, A Dream To Share’s proud owner-breeder and the winning rider’s father, added: “It’s a tremendous feeling because John [Kiely] is not only our friend and neighbour, but he’s also been a mentor to John [Gleeson]. It’s just so emotional. I watched it with my wife Claire and it was just special.

“We bred the jockey and horse. We dreamed of this. We named this horse on Christmas Day and I dreamed of winning this race. This is the first chapter. The second chapter is Cheltenham in March.

“I genuinely thought A Dream To Share could be a Montelado or a Rite Of Passage. He’s a half-brother to [Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial winner] Raise You and we have the dam at home. I had the granddam. It’s fairytale stuff.”

Cromwell makes his mark with DRF double

GAVIN Cromwell’s outstanding run of form rolled on to the Dublin Racing Festival as he pulled off a big-handicap double on day one of the meeting.

A Pertemps Final bid looks to be in the reckoning for the JP McManus-owned Perceval Legallois after the mount of Mark Walsh ran out a convincing winner of the Grade B Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle worth €100,000.

Having been raised 10lb by the handicapper to a mark of 135 for winning by three and a quarter lengths at odds of 4/1, he has virtually guaranteed his place in the line-up for that Cheltenham Festival target.

Cromwell, who won with 12 of his 46 National Hunt runners in January (26% strike rate), said: “He was really good. He ran well at Christmas and the horses are on fire at the moment. He travelled so sweet today.

“I thought he got the run of the race and they didn’t go a wild gallop. He had a nice position, quickened nicely and just did everything well. He’s qualified for the Pertemps and, after winning today, he’ll probably get in. We’ll speak to connections.”

Orders set for Arkle?

A sensational rise through the ranks for Final Orders ratched up another notch in the Grade B Paddy Power Cheltenham Fanzone Handicap Chase (registered as the Sandyford Handicap Chase).

The CMD Syndicate’s pint-sized seven-year-old, ridden by Keith Donoghue, was rattling off a fifth win on the bounce off a career-high mark and a sixth win in the space of seven starts, having previously struck at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.

Success in the €100,000 contest has seen Final Orders promoted to a new rating of 149 (up 9lb). His only two hurdles wins - the latest coming last August - came off marks of 92 and 96, while he is rated just 59 on the flat.

Cromwell said of the 9/2 winner: “He’s not the biggest but he has massive scope. Those are big fences around here but he loves it and is just thriving off chasing. It’s been a massive transformation for him over fences.

“This was obviously the best race he’s run in and Keith said it was the best feel he’s given him. I don’t know where we go from here, we’re probably gone out of the Grand Annual now so we might have to have a look at the Arkle. We’ll definitely have to consider it anyway.

“We went to the Arkle last year with Gabynako [who finished a creditable second to Edwardstone] and it’s a race where if you jump really well, it does bring you into the race and give you a chance.”