Nick Ryan sets sights on the Thoroughbred Club Stakes

Nick Ryan has higher aims than a Group 3 race at Caulfield as he saddles up Munhamek in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, but earlier on the card his attention will be taken with the challenge for Material Dreams to add to her growing string of successive wins.

Material Dreams will have her fourth career start in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) and after scoring at Moe, Wodonga and Bendigo, the bar rises to black-type company for the first time.

A narrow winner at Bendigo at Benchmark 64 level on November 1, the three-year-old is rated a $13 chance in the fillies only event with the John O’Shea-trained Saltaire the $3.30 favourite with online bookmakers.

“She’s very progressive,” Ryan told RSN.

“She’s untapped and on the way up with three-from-three.

“Not many do that and she beat the older horses the other day despite a mishap earlier in her prep.

Luke Currie flies in from Hong Kong for three rides at Caulfield, two of which will be for Ryan’s runners Material Dreams and Munhamek.

It is a positive association that the pair have with a 21 per-cent strike-rate when they have teamed up before Currie’s Asian racing sojourn.

Though recognising the task ahead, Ryan is hopeful that the winning run can progress on.

“We wanted to have her up and going into spring a bit earlier but we had to be patient,” he added

“The way she has come on from Bendigo, this is a good opportunity to get black-type.”

Last season, Ryan celebrated his most successful season as a trainer since taking his licence in 2015 with 42 winners at a strike-rate just shy of 16 per-cent.