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, a trio of debutants take our eye, including a well-related Pierro gelding at Yarra Valley and a brother to a G1 Golden Slipper S. winner at Canterbury. A filly by Menari completes our selections at the Sunshine Coast.
Yarra Valley, Race 2, 1.10pm AEDT, Viclab Mdn, $25,000, 1200m
Fuller, 3-year-old gelding (Pierro x Life On The Edge {Redoute's Choice})
A $400,000 purchase for Hawkes Racing as a yearling from the Turangga Farm draft of the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Fuller is now trained by Chris Waller for his owners at Tora Racing. He is out of a sister to stakes winner Glenall and half-sister to Panpique (Testa Rossa), with his second dam, the Group 3 winner Our Quivira (NZ) (Spinning World {USA}).
Fuller as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
The nick of Pierro with Redoute's Choice mares has produced 33 winners from 44 runners, including nine stakes winners, so it’s a formula that has proven remarkably successful.
Fuller looked pretty sharp in a recent jump-out at Werribee, settling off the pace and then working home well between horses to hit the front, and then only be just beaten on the line.
Canterbury, Race 3, 7pm AEDT, Tab Plate, $50,000, 1100m
Stromboli, 3-year-old colt (Exceed And Excel x Bahia {Snippets})
Corumbene Stud has had terrific success from their broodmare Bahia, who has produced G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Overreach, stakes winner Standout and Widden Stud stallion Outreach, all of whom are full siblings to this Exceed And Excel colt, Stromboli. G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Reward For Effort is a three-quarter brother as well.
Stromboli as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
This team Hawkes-trained colt went through the ring at the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale but was passed in for $950,000 and retained by the Altomonte family.
He has had four trials ahead of his debut, the most recent at Canterbury, where he camped on top of the pace and gave a good kick down the straight to win comfortably. That sets him up well for his debut, but this does look a reasonably strong race.
Sunshine Coast, Race 1, 7.08pm AEDT (6.08pm local), Access Insulation Sunshine Coast QTIS 2YO H., $75,000, 1000m
Enzina, 2-year-old filly (Menari x Ben's Duchess {USA} {Munnings {USA}})
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott send one of the few from the first crop of Menari north for this 2-year-old feature at the Sunshine Coast. Enzina has had two trials. The first she won in impressive fashion at Randwick before she returned later in November and finished third behind stablemate Rise Of The Masses (Russian Revolution), who has subsequently broken his maiden.
This filly cost James Bester and Vantage Thoroughbreds $260,000 from the Newgate draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She is out of Grade 3-winning American mare Ben's Duchess (USA), which is a family which has also produced G1 Hollywood Derby winner Vergennes (USA) (Dynaformer {USA}).
Enzina as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Looking Back
Nasturtium (Snitzel) was an impressive winner at Hawkesbury for Looking Ahead followers while My Artemis (Written Tycoon) finished third on debut at Kyneton, where Gmork (NZ) (Tivaci) finished seventh.
