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 Hinchinbrook colt looks to follow in the family tradition at Ballarat, where we also have a son of Choisir looking to break his maiden, while at Canberra, a mare with a terrific New Zealand pedigree steps out on debut for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Bendigo, Race 2, 1pm AEST, The Big Screen Company Mdn, $35,000, 1100m
There are a host of interesting young prospects in this race, but the Michael Moroney-trained Tour Of Duty (Hinchinbrook) is one that took our eye, having debuted with a nice second at Bendigo back in May. He has been given a couple of jump-outs this time in and wasn't too far away at his most recent.
The late Hinchinbrook, sire of Tour Of Duty
Both his half-sister, Greysful Glamour (Stratum), and sister, Celestial Falls, emerged as spring 3-year-olds with the former placed in a G1 VRC Oaks and the latter placed in a G3 Ethereal S. Greysful Glamour would later win a G3 Mannerism S. This colt sold for $150,000 at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and the extended family features plenty of stakes winners from the Northern Hemisphere.
Bendigo, Race 3, 1.30pm AEST, TAC Be Races Ready Mdn, $35,000, 1400m
This is another race with plenty of promising horses and it was the Robert Hickmott-trained Infinite Matrix (Choisir), which caught the eye. He was only just beaten on debut at Geelong recently and should come on from that debut effort.
Infinite Matrix as a yearling
He was a $150,000 yearling buy for Thomas Li at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale and is out of the stakes-placed mare Absolute Pleasure (Trade Fair {GB}), who has produced the winners Turbo Power (Vital Equine {Ire}) and Pure Dynamite (Alfred Nobel {Ire}) and is out of a half-sister to Group 2 winner Gallant Tess (Galileo {Ire}).
Canberra, Race 3, 1.40pm AEST, Jockeys Celebration H,, $20,000, 1300m
Frankly Savvy (NZ) (Savabeel) debuts for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott off a couple of recent quiet trials. A 4-year-old, she was a $180,000 buy for Dynamic Syndications out of the 2018 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale from the draft of Maluka Thoroughbreds.
Frankly Savvy (NZ) as a yearling
She boasts quite a pedigree, being by Savabeel out of a Pins mare, a nick which has produced 70 winners in total including 12 at stakes-level. The only more successful nick for Savabeel is with O'Reilly mares and as it happens, Frankly Savvy is from that stallion's family, with his third dam on his maternal line being Courtza (NZ) (Pompeii Court {USA}), who is the dam of O'Reilly (NZ). She is also closely related to stakes-winner Keano (NZ) (Pins).
