Looking Ahead - 5th March

3 min read

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 look at a smart filly resuming and a high-priced yearling taking their chances at Kembla Grange while a first-starter at Seymour has also caught our attention.

Kembla Grange Happy Birthday Lincoln Piper H. $35,000 1200 metres

Trainer Brad Widdup looks to have found an ideal race here to ease the promising Ragazze (Snitzel) back into action. The $200,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale buy won two of her three starts in the spring and was successful over this course and trip on debut. The filly has had two trials together her fit for her return, winning the most recent of them at Hawkesbury.

Ragazze is a daughter of the Listed winner and Group performer Pravana (Anabaa {USA}), whose dam Pravda (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) won the G3 Taranaki Cup and finished runner-up in the G1 New Zealand Oaks. She is a sister to the G1 Adelaide Cup winner Cronus and to the dam of the former champion filly Samantha Miss (Redoute’s Choice).

Ragazze pictured as a yearling

Kembla Grange Happy Birthday Riley O’Shea Maiden $35,000 1200 metres

Meticulous (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) was sold for $2.4 million at the Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale when purchased by a syndicate including Coolmore, Aquis, Stonestreet and Blue Sky Bloodstock. He subsequently failed to meet a $1 million reserve at Inglis’ Digital Sale and now makes a long awaited debut.

Out of the stakes winner Hoss Amor (General Nediym), the colt is a grandson of the G1 Golden Slipper S. placegetter Loving Cup (Bluebird {USA}). Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Meticulous has been extensively trialled and finished fourth in his most recent outing at Randwick.

Meticulous pictured as a yearling

Seymour Lloyd Sound Maiden $35,000 1100 metres

Invincible Lotus (Invincible Spirit) hasn’t been seen at the trials, but the Brent Stanley-trained filly has drawn well and she has a pedigree to suggest she can shine early.

A $400,000 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale purchase, the filly’s mother Oasis Bloom (Al Maher) won the G2 Stocks S. and ran fourth in a G1 Myer Classic. She is a half-sister to Underestimation (Al Samer), a dual stakes winner who was successful twice as a 2-year-old. The third dam Purpose (Vain) won the G3 Reisling Slipper Trial S. and her daughter Lady Purpose (Sir Tristram {Ire}) won at two and finished runner-up in the G2 Maribyrnong Plate.

Invincible Lotus pictured as a yearling