Looking Ahead puts the spotlight on runners of interest across Australia and New Zealand. Whether they are a particularly well-bred or high-priced runner having their first or second start, a promising galloper returning to the track or a horse which has trialled particularly well, we’ll aim to give you something to follow.
Today, we like the chances of a pair of maiden contenders at the Geelong meeting and an improving filly gets her chance at Musswellbrook.
Geelong Bet365 Maiden Plate $35,000 1140 metres 1.30pm
Race day experience may well be to the fore here in the form of the Darren Weir-trained Maozi (Helmet). She hadn’t trialled before she made her debut on this track on Boxing Day and she finished a sound second with Frankie Pinot (Your Song) a rival again back in third spot.
Maozi is a daughter of Wonderful Feeling (Encosta de Lago), who is a half-sister to the G1 New Zealand Oaks winner Jungle Rocket (NZ) (Jungle Pocket {JPN}) and the Listed placegetter Aggregator (NZ) (Don Eduardo {NZ}). The dam is out of Lady Cimarosa (Don Cimarosa {IRE}) and she won eight races and was runner-up in the G3 Fashion S.
Helmet
Geelong Westfield Geelong Plate $35,000 1140 metres 2.00pm
Mutombo (Al Maher) was an $85,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase for trainer Henry Dwyer and Randwick Bloodstock and is out of Breannon (Charge Forward), a half-sister to the G3 Hawkesbury Guineas and G3 Fred Best Classic winner Najoom (Northern Meteor). Their dam is a sibling to the stakes winners Upon This Rock (Fastnet Rock), Bhutane Dane (Danehill Dancer (IRE) and Gaze On (Intergaze). It is the family of the multiple Group 1 winner Criterion (NZ) (Sebring).
Fifth on debut before a break, Mutombo resumed at Sale where he raced with the leaders and boxed on well for second. Natural improvement should see him hard to topple and the stable is in good touch following a winning metropolitan double at the weekend.
Mutombo as a yearling
Musswellbrook SIlks Function Centre Maiden $22,000 1280 metres 1.15pm
Tessa Burrito (Sebring) hails from a strong North American black type family with her mother That’s How I Roll (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) a Listed winner and twice placed at that level. She is out of Chatter Chatter (USA) (Lost Soldier {USA}) who was twice successful at stakes level and the pedigree also boasts the presence of I’m A Chatterbox (USA) (Munnings {USA}), who was a top mare and collected three Group 1 titles during her career.
Trained by Kris Lees, Tessa Burrito placed in two of her first three starts in her opening campaign before a break. She has been given two trials to ready her for her return and will be partnered by Andrew Gibbons, who rode the filly when second at Scone in the spring.
Tessa Burrito
