Looking Ahead - June 7

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 like the chances at Taree of an improving filly with an international pedigree while at Swan Hill we zero in on a half-sister to a dual Group 1 winner and a 2-year-old from a long-established and well-performed family.

Taree Race 3, 1.00pm, XXXX Gold Maiden, $22,000, 1400m

Corey Brown looks to have a good ride here when he combines with the Kris Lees-trained Free Verse (All Too Hard). The filly showed significant improvement on her unplaced debut effort when she raced on the pace at Port Macquarie and stayed on strongly for third.

Free Verse as a yearling

Free Verse is out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Gopana, who won four times, and is a daughter of the G3 Premio Mario Incisa winner Honorifique (Fr) (Highest Honor {Fr}), also successful at Listed level in France. The pedigree also features the presence of the G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano winner Valanjou (Fr) (Pampabird {Ire) and his stakes winning half-brother Rouvignac (Fr) (African Song {Ire}).

Swan Hill Race 2, 12.50pm, TAC Be Races Ready Maiden, $35,000, 1200m

French Success (NZ) (Savabeel) is a sister to the G1 Cantala S. and G1 Empire Rose S. winner Shillelagh (NZ), the G2 Brisbane Cup winner Tullamore (NZ) and the Listed winner Grazia (NZ). Their dam Trocaire (Flying Spur) is a half-sister to the two-time North American Group 3 winner Nautique (NZ) (Pins) and to the stakes winning dam of the G2 Woodbine King Edward Gold Cup winner Desert Waves (Can) (Alysheba {USA}).

French Success as a yearling

Trained at Lindsay Park, French Success was a NZ$340,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale buy who was put aside after an unplaced debut run at Caulfield before Christmas. She has trialled satisfactorily at Tatura and, while she may need further to show her best, in a fresh state a bold showing might be on the cards.

Swan Hill Race 5, 2.20pm, No Fuss Hire Elvstroem Classic, $100,000, 1300m

Spirit Medium (Helmet) is the latest foal to the races for the Listed Millie Fox S. winner Seances (Canny Lad), who has done a fine job in the breeding barn. She has produced eight winners, including the G2 Sapphire S. winner Renaissance (Lonhro), her G2 Shorts H. winning brother Sessions and the dam of the G3 Eclipse S. winner Whisky Neat (Denman). Seances is a half-sister to the G1 Flight S. winner Unworldly (Quest For Fame {GB}) and the G2 Shannon H. winner Gordo (Brief Truce {USA}).

The James Cummings-trained Spirit Medium showed she had inherited her share of the family ability with a sound performance on debut to finish third at Sandown where she was in the hunt all the way and boxed on well. The filly can only have improved with the outing and has drawn to be in the firing line again.