Cunningham excited by Big Parade

by Anthony Manton

Warwick Farm trainer Clare Cunningham, now in her third season of training, has built-up a good reputation for rejuvenating tried horses from other stables. While Cunningham has had very few juvenile runners, she is excited by 2-year-old colt Big Parade (Deep Field) who lines-up on debut at Taree on Friday.

Big Parade has some famous names to live up to within the family with the likes of Zizou (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}) and Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) among his pedigree page.

Big Parade was a $160,000 purchase at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Big Parade is from the dam Crystal Rock (Fastnet Rock), a half-sister to Zizou. Zizou was Champion 2-Year-old in Australia & New Zealand 2006-07, after finishing 2nd in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes and Group 1 Golden Slipper in 2007.

Big Parade’s granddam is Natural Is My Name (Naturalism {NZ}), a multiple stakes-placegetter and a half-sister to super-stallion Not A Single Doubt. She is also a half-sister to stakes-placed Hanky Panky (Anabaa {USA}), dam of stakes-winners Fun In Flight (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}), Come Hither (Redoute’s Choice) and Master Ash (Sebring).

Despite having some big names in the family, Cunningham says there is no added pressure training Big Parade.

“The owners have been great and there is no pressure on us or expectations, they just want to see their horses treated well and given every chance to succeed”.

“They [the owners] buy a good standard of horse and have raced some quality horses in the past, each horse is treated the same in our stable,” said trainer Clare Cunningham.

Big Parade, although still raw has showed good ability and a low-key 1250m 2-year-old handicap at Taree appears a great starting point.

“He’s still very raw and inexperienced and whatever he does on debut he’ll improve on but he’s impressed us so far and Taree looks a good starting point,” said Cunningham.

Big Parade first trialled at Warwick Farm on May 17, after beginning well settled just off the pace and closed-off solidly to finish 3rd behind another Deep Field colt Roman Wolf, who has won two of his three starts so far.

At his second trial at Rosehill on May 24, Big Parade again settled just off the pace but was asked for more of an effort in the straight and accelerated impressively to win the trial while running one of the faster times of the morning for the 900m heats. Finishing 3rd in that trial was Hostwin Sunlight (Sizzling) which placed on debut at Doomben during the week in a 2-year-old maiden, a solid form reference for Big Parade at Taree.

Big Parade is still a colt, however has shown Cunningham no indication that keeping him a colt is affecting his racing manners so far.

“He’s raw and needs to learn how to concentrate on his racing a bit more but that’s not because he’s a colt and thinking of other things, I think that’s just due to a lack of experience”.

“The owners don’t mind either way if we keep him a colt or geld him down the track, they just want to race good horses but at this stage he hasn’t given us a reason to cut him,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham is thrilled to secure the services of two-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey Corey Brown, who will make a rare trip to Taree on a Friday and has been booked to ride Big Parade in race one. Brown grew-up in Wingham, not far from Taree and began his apprenticeship in the area. He is being hosted by the club with a race named in his honour as recognition of his international success.

“It’s amazing to get Corey, my partner Jason [Collett] overheard him talking about going to Taree in the jockey’s room and we booked him straight away,” said Cunningham.

Big Parade is the sole debutant in the race with Controlthewitness (Star Witness) and Dodecanese (Excelebration {Ire}) appearing the hardest to beat.

After two quiet trials, the Kris Lees trained Controlthewitness beat the older horses at Port Macquarie on May 20. Travelling on-speed and three-wide throughout he toughed it out very strongly to win and dropping back to his own age against 2-year-olds looks very hard to beat again.

Meanwhile, fellow Novocastrian Paul Perry saddles-up the colt Dodecanese on the back of a barnstorming victory at Muswellbrook on May 26 and is also highly regarded.

Big Parade’s sire Deep Field (Northern Meteor) has had a great start to his stud career in his first season with seventeen individual winners and two stakes-winners, Dig Deep (Deep Field), and Cosmic Force (Deep Field).

Deep Field stands at Newgate for a fee of $44,000 in 2019.