Mick Price’s in-form galloper Heart Of Dreams is now the favourite in the 2011 Australian Cup odds after their impressive win in the Group 2 St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield last Saturday.

Five-year-old Show A Heart gelding Heart Of Dreams went out as the $2.40 favourite despite drawing wide with barrier 13 and being the 59kg top-weight of the field for the St George Stakes on Blue Diamond Day.

Overcoming both Heart Of Dreams was never threatened coasting to an impressive 2/12 length victory over the Bart Cummings-trained Precedence ($19).

Prices’ other runner Spacecraft ($9) finished a further half-length away for third, but will not continue onto the $1 million Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 12 like his more talented stablemate.

Before the St George Stakes win Heart Of Dreams was the $6.50 second favourite behind reigning champion Zipping in the 2011 Australian Cup odds at Luxbet.

Punters were quick to get behind Heart Of Dreams in the market and he has since firmed into the clear $4.60 favourite.

Now a winner of six of his 23 career starts, Saturday’s success saw Heart Of Dreams boost his prize money to over $1.5 million.

Third-up for the season, Heart Of Dreams resumed with a seventh place finish over the unsuitable 1200m in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on January 28 before being narrowly defeated by Typhoon Tracy in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at their next start on February 12.

Twelve months ago Heart Of Dreams followed the same path towards the Australian Cup running second in the 2010 CF Orr and St George before running fourth beaten one and a half lengths by Zipping in last year’s Australian Cup.

The 2010 Australian Cup run was one of only two starts Heart Of Dreams has had over 2000m, his other being a close second to Whobegotyou in the 2009 Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield.

Zipping is now the $5.50 second favourite in the futures Australian Cup betting through Luxbet, the evergreen nine-year-old resumed with a 10^th place in the CF Orr.

Moudre occupies the third line of betting in the Cup markets paying $6.50 followed by Shocking ($7.50), Precedence ($8) and Linton ($9) as the single-figure priced entries at Luxbet.

All of these other early Australian Cup favourites were defeated by Heart Of Dreams in the St George Stakes with Precedence second, Shocking running seventh but hitting the line hard, Moudre eighth and Linton ninth.

To view the full 2011 Australian Guineas odds and betting options visit Luxbet today and lock in your picks at their generous early prices!

Photo courtesy (c) Taron Clarke Photography