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 Thursday, a first runner for the SA-based sire Dedline makes her debut at Cranbourne, while at Hawkesbury, two fillies from very good families look to break their maidens
Cranbourne Race 1, 1pm AEST, Cranbourne Cup Carnival Tickets on Sale 2YO Fillies Mdn, $35,000, 1000m
Phyla Vell will be the first runner for her South Australian-based sire Dedline and off the strength of her recent trial win, the John Price trained filly might make it a winning start. She showed a great turn of foot off the bend there to kick clear of her rivals and win easily and she looks ready to make an impression.
She was a $32,000 buy out of the Adelaide Magic Millions Sale for the first crop of the son of Fastnet Rock, who stands for $4400 at Rosden Park. Her dam Quasar (Astronomer Royal {USA}) was unplaced but is from the family of American G3 winner Essence (USA) (Gulch {USA}), which extends back to this filly's fourth dam, the G1 winning mare Patelin (USA) (Cornish Prince {USA}).
Phylla Vell as a yearling
Hawkesbury Race 3, 1:35pm AEST, Robert Oatley Wine Makers Dinner 2yo Mdn, $35,000, 1000m
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's Mistress Mouse (I Am Invincible) showed enough during her first campaign to anticipate her return to the track here. She certainly looks to have grown and improved in the break and topped off her preparation for this race with a good trial win at Randwick last month.
She is the half-sister to the promising galloper Quackerjack (Not A Single Doubt), who has won five of his 14 starts to date. The dam Quack It (Ustinov) is a half-sister to stakes winners Anatina (Fastnet Rock) and Pricked (Thorn Park), which is also the family of stakes-winner Oxford Poet (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) . Mistress Mouse was purchased by Reg Inglis, Jon Kelly and Paul Frampton for $450,000 at last year's Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale.
Hawkesbury Race 4, 2:10pm AEST, HRC Motel Mdn, $35,000, 1100m
Menagerie (Zoustar) hails from one of the most successful sprinting families in Australia of recent times and makes her return to the track after finishing in the placings in both runs at her first campaign. She is a recent Kembla Grange trial winner, and this looks a good race for her to break her maiden.
Menagerie as a yearling
Trainer Joe Pride knows a thing or two about this family having trained the progeny of Menagerie's dam sister Parfore (Gold Brose). They include the Group 1 winners Terravista (Captain Rio {GB}) and Tiger Tees (NZ) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the seven-times stakes winner Ball of Muscle (Dubawi {Ire}). This filly's half sister Il Quello Veloce (NZ) (Captain Rio {GB}) is also a Group 1 winner, while another sister Donna Cattiva is also a stakes-winner. Menagerie was a $240,000 buy for her trainer at the Gold Coast 2017 Magic Millions.
