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.
On Friday, we start out in the nation's capital, where John Thompson has a filly by Cable Bay (Ire) on debut, before it is off to Scone for a resuming son of Real Impact (Jpn) who looks quite promising, and then to Cranbourne as a $1.7 million yearling looks to open his account.
Canberra, Race 1, 12.40pm AEST, Core Developments H., $20,000. 1200m
Silk Tie, a daughter of first-season stallion Cable Bay, makes her debut here for John Thompson having performed well in a recent Randwick trial. She was only 1.6l off the smart Mark Newnham-trained filly A Very Fine Red (Deep Field) there and with natural improvement, she should be in the finish in this 2-year-old race.
Cable Bay (Ire), sire of Silk Tie | Standing at Woodside Park Stud
Withdrawn from last year's Inglis Melbourne Gold Yearling Sale, she was retained by her breeders, the Parker family. She is out of a very successful Gooree Park family which features the Group 1 winners Desert War (Desert King {Ire}), Laser Hawk (Artie Schiller {USA}) and Romantic Touch (Northern Meteor). Cable Bay has produced two winners to date from his first Australian crop.
Muswellbrook, Race 7, 4.40pm AEST, Magic Millions BM66 H., $22,000, 1280m
Paul Messara takes several chances to this meeting and Tempel One (Real Impact {Jpn}) looks one of his best. The promising colt won a couple of races at Scone last campaign and should be expected to add to his winning tally this time in. He won a recent trial indicating he may be hard to beat first-up here.
Tempel One as a yearling
He was a $75,000 purchase at the 2019 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. His dam, Only Roses (Redoute's Choice), has also produced the Group 3-placed mare Game Of Thorns (Animal Kingdom {USA}), and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Blahnik (Jeune {GB}) and Listed winner Elysses (Statue Of Liberty {USA}).
Cranbourne, Race 1, 6pm AEST, Frankston Sand, Soil and Mini Mix Mdn, $35,000, 1000m
Strategy (I Am Invincible), a $1.7 million sale-topper from the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, resumes here as a gelding, having been competitive without placing in both his runs in his first campaign. He showed a fair bit of speed when second in a recent jump-out and could be set for his long-awaited first win for trainer Lloyd Kennewell.
Strategy as a yearling
He boasts a strong pedigree, as you’d expect with a pricetag like that. His dam, Oakleigh Girl (Snitzel), was a dual stakes winner and has produced the four-time winner Beachbreak (Sebring). His grandam, Miss Kournikova (Mr Greeley {USA}) was a star sprinting filly who won an G1 Oakleigh Plate.
