Written by Paul Vettise
Talented mare Oceanex (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) will be given every opportunity this preparation to go to the next level with Group 1 targets on her more immediate program.
She ended her spring campaign with victory in the G2 Matriarch S. following a number of luckless runs and trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are firstly eyeing off goals in Sydney later this month.
“We’ve got a plan mapped out for her. On March 14 she heads to Rosehill for the G1 Coolmore Classic over 1500 metres and then probably two weeks later to the Emancipation S., a Group 2 over 1500 metres,” Kent Jnr said.
“After that another two weeks later at Randwick is the G1 Coolmore Legacy at a mile or the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. over 2000 metres, we’ll see what happens closer to the time about that.”
Oceanex (NZ) winning the the G2 Matriarch S.
A trip to the Queensland winter carnival is also on the cards for Oceanex, the winner of four of her 14 starts.
“A race like the G1 Doomben Cup could be a really nice end goal for her. She’s a Group 2 winner and we want to keep building her page and enhance it with possibly a Group 1 win or placing,” Kent said.
“She is a high-quality mare and has just kept improving and improving and that’s all she can do. The Doomben Cup looks a lovely target race for her, especially over 2000 metres and she can be very competitive.
“She is a high-quality mare and has just kept improving and improving and that’s all she can do.” – Michael Kent Jnr
Oceanex made impressive steps toward resuming when she won her 1190 metre trial at Cranbourne on Tuesday morning.
Rider Damien Oliver took her to the front and she was cruising to the turn and wasn’t put under any pressure to see it through to account for Lindsay Park’s Super Titus (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who made ground well.
“Her trial was fantastic, she went really well and she’s obviously quite forward. She was in pre-training at our beach stable at Warrnambool and they do remarkably well there,” Kent said.
Micheal Kent Jnr is rapt with Oceanex (NZ)
“She’s been back with us for three or four weeks now here at Caulfield and she jumped out really well at the Caulfield jump-outs last week.
“She’s really come on and the Ocean Parks get better with time. He had a big spring with Oceanex, Kolding and Tofane and they’re all 4-year-olds.
“Our mare will get better each preparation so we’re rapt with her. She’s come up really well this time in.”
“Our mare will get better each preparation so we’re rapt with her. She’s come up really well this time in.” – Michael Kent Jnr
Oceanex was bought out of Milan Park’s New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale draft at Karaka by Price for NZ$70,000. She is out of the winning Danasinga mare Danex (NZ), who has also produced the G3 Rough Habit Plate winner Amexed (NZ) (Pentire {GB}).
The stable is also looking forward to the lightly-tried Scottish Dancer (Dream Ahead {USA}) running in Saturday’s The Nova100 Trophy at Flemington. He has won two of his three starts, the latest when resuming off a break at Ladbrokes Park.
Ocean Park (NZ), sire of Oceanex (NZ) | Standing at Waikato Stud
“He’s awfully progressive and is on route to possibly the Bendigo Guineas. He’s a very nice horse, very exciting,” Kent Jnr said.
Offered by Woodpark Stud, Scottish Dancer was a $75,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO in Training Sale purchase for syndicators Roll The Dice Racing, who also have the talented last-start winner He’ll Haunt Us (Time For War) in the stable.
Scottish Dancer is out of Strathspey (Al Maher) and she is a half-sister to the G3 Vanity S. winner Alzora (Redoute's Choice) and the family of the G2 Matamata Breeders' S. winner Te Akau Coup (NZ) (Thorn Park).
