Azzopardi aiming for another Dream result 

Prominent owner-breeder David Azzopardi could have an embarrassment of riches on display at the 12th annual Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday, a meeting the Dream Thoroughbreds supremo targets each and every year given the prizemoney and bonuses on offer. 

Azzopardi had the distinction of breeding the first two runners home in the 2025 edition of the VOBIS Platinum Showdown (1200m), and 12 months on he is hoping lightning can strike twice as he readies his arsenal for the upcoming raceday which offers in excess of $3 million across 10 races.

In last year’s $1 million Showdown his homebred filly Befuddle chased home McGaw, who was also bred under his Havaparty Investments banner before being sold to David and Emma-Lee Browne for a mere $14,000, giving Azzopardi the breeding bragging rights – even if he doesn’t own the winner. 

Befuddle does, however, carry the Dream Thoroughbreds colours as does her baby brother who is now on a path towards The Showdown at Caulfield on Saturday week, when he will bid to give Azzopardi and trainer John Sadler their first victory in the juvenile showpiece.

The makeup of the siblings’ ownership groups is nearly identical, largely as the $30,000 in VOBIS Platinum vouchers collected by Befuddle’s connections after she won at The Valley in early 2025 was swiftly reinvested in Lot 570 at last year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. 

Their $45,000 purchase now races as The Troubleshooter, and the gelding got his career off to an impressive start last Saturday when he finished third in the Listed Festival Stakes (1000m) at Flemington. 

Azzopardi believes the son of I Am Immortal will now benefit from the step up to 1200m in The Showdown - which is open exclusively to the progeny of VOBIS Sires nominated stallions - and the same applies to another horse he bred in McGaw’s full-sister Lagunanini. 

In the space of just over two hours last Sunday, Lagunanini - a $160,000 acquisition for the Busuttin-Young team at last year’s Premier Sale - made a winning debut at Sale and another sibling from the same family went through the ring at Oaklands Junction, with Mick Price Racing and Sheamus Mills teaming up to purchase the Supido filly (Lot 232) for $120,000.

Given that Lagunanini is now virtually guaranteed a start in The Showdown after collecting a cheque for $31,775 (including $8,400 in VOBIS bonuses) for her debut victory, it would be quite some achievement if her dam Niki Piki Milo were to produce the winner of the $1 million contest two years in a row. 

Purely from a purely financial perspective, however, Azzopardi’s preference would be for The Troubleshooter to go one better than his stablemate Befuddle, with Lagunanini chasing him home to complete another dream result. 

“It was a really encouraging debut for The Troubleshooter and hopefully his top three finish will get him into The Showdown,” said Azzopardi.

“We came close to winning the race with Befuddle, so hopefully it’s our turn this year. It’s a meeting we really target every year because the prizemoney is so good, especially when you throw in all the VOBIS bonuses and vouchers.     

“It’s also a great excuse for all the owners and breeders to come together to celebrate Victorian racing. I only send my broodmares to Victorian stallions, not only because we want to support our local industry, but also because of the huge incentives on offer through the VOBIS program.”     

Perhaps the most exciting horse currently in the Dream Thoroughbreds stable is Veyepee, who will line up as one of the favourites for the $500,000 VOBIS Platinum Guineas (1600m) next Saturday after preserving the unblemished start to his career with a second straight win on the Heath track at Caulfield in mid-February. 

Having proved too sharp for his rivals over 1500m that day, the son of Russian Camelot should relish the step up to the mile in the Guineas with connections then considering raising their collective sights to Group 1 level with a potential tilt at the South Australian Derby (2500m), a race his sire won back in 2020.   

“I bought Veyepee at the Premier Sale two years ago in partnership with Lenny Russo of Bluegrass Bloodstock, we both loved him and it’s great to see him performing so well on the racetrack now,” said Azzopardi, who again teamed up with Russo this year to purchase an athletic Toronado colt from the Newhaven Park draft. 

“As a Russian Camelot we knew we probably wouldn’t be seeing him until his three-year-old season, especially as Anthony and Sam [Freedman] are so patient with their horses. He’s now two from two against older horses and he’s back to his own age in the VOBIS Guineas, so if he can hold his form he should be very hard to beat in that race. 

“The mile should suit him down to the ground and I think he’ll also appreciate the bigger track at Caulfield. He’s probably crying out for 2000 metres and beyond now so if we could get him to the SA Derby we’d love to go down that path, but we’ll get through the Guineas first and I think you’ll see an even better horse when he turns four, which is very exciting.” 

For the first time this year Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday will feature the VOBIS Gold So Si Bon, a new 1400m race named in honour of Lindsay Park’s enigmatic galloper who will be trackside to witness the inaugural edition.

The Living legends resident won the VOBIS Gold Mile (1600m) twice on his way to amassing more than $2 million in prizemoney for his connections, a figure which was bolstered by in excess of $60,000 in bonuses.

For more information about the VOBIS program please visit www.racingvictoria.com.au/vobis