Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Written by Jessica Owers
Sydney’s midweek meeting was on Randwick’s Kensington track on Wednesday, and the feel-good factor of the day occurred in the second race, with 2-year-old filly Forzanini (Pride Of Dubai) winning in the Cornish family’s Torryburn Stud colours for part-owner Nini Vascotto.
Vascotto, a social media manager for the Australian Turf Club, has been battling Stage 4 cancer for a number of years, and has been particularly unwell the last few months.
However, she was trackside to watch her filly in The Agency Real Estate Plate over 1100 metres, and it was worth it.
Forzanini jumped from barrier four with jockey Sam Clipperton, and settled midfield after racing keen. Straightening for home, she found a pocket one off the rails, and rallied late to overhaul long-time leader Duchy Of Savoy (Snitzel), who was an eventual second.
The pair had a good tussle inside the last 100 metres, with Forzanini rallying in the final strides to poke her nose in front. The official margins were 0.16l between first and second, with 2.56l back to Firstluv (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) in a blanket finish for third.
For Nini
Forzanini is trained by Peter and Paul Snowden at Randwick. Before Wednesday, she had three times appeared in silks, with a debut third at Randwick in December, and two fifth-placed efforts at Kembla Grange and Canterbury last time out.
“She hasn’t had any luck at all early or mid-race in her racing,” said Paul Snowden, who was trackside for the win. “She’s doing the little things wrong that she shouldn’t be, but she hasn’t had that good experience. Today she was afforded that by Sam (Clipperton) off a good draw, and we spoke at length pre-race that if she gets that luck and switches off, she can certainly win today.”
Forzanini won her race in 1:03.92 on a Soft 5, which was slightly slower than the colts and geldings earlier in the day. However, the trainer praised the filly’s tenacity in getting out late to rally home.
"Her (Forzanini) namesake is here today, so obviously the strength of Nini is around to take her a long way in racing, that’s for sure." - Paul Snowden
“Her namesake is here today, so obviously the strength of Nini is around to take her a long way in racing, that’s for sure,” Snowden said.
Jockey Sam Clipperton was full of praise for the filly.
“She just has a tendency to overdo it in her races,” he said. “Today was the first opportunity we were able to get her in behind a couple, and she still wanted to travel keen. But she showed a good turn of foot at the end of it, and she’s got a bit of class about her.”
The jockey added that it was a case of getting the filly’s race manners correct, but when that happened, he said she would be an ideal horse over 1400 metres.
“She’s got a win on the board today, and that’s a really good result,” Clipperton said. “That gives Nini a bit of a boost. We all know what she’s going through, and she’s an incredibly strong woman.”
Nini Vascotto and Forzanini | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Heart horse
Chestnut filly Forzanini is the fifth named foal from the broodmare Fornini (Stravinsky {USA}), who was also named for Vascotto.
Fornini was unraced, having only a barrier trial to her name in 2011, but she has been a beloved broodmare for the Cornish family, producing the well-campaigned Coterie (Your Song), in whom Vascotto is also involved.
The mare had a Merchant Navy filly sell at this year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, which sold to the Hoboken Stud Syndicate for $40,000, and she was covered by Pride Of Dubai last year.
Forzanini was unsold as a yearling, but her page boasts the New Zealand top-rated filly Serena Miss (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}). Broodmare Fornini is a half-sister to the stakes winner Presently (Unbridled’s Song {USA}) and the stakes-placed Another Time (Gilded Time {USA}), who was second in the G3 Black Opal S. in 2005 behind Al Samer.
Hallowell colt
While Forzanini’s result in the fillies’ race won the popularity contest on Wednesday, the first race of the meeting was the Vinery Stud Plate for the 2-year-old colts and geldings over 1100 metres. The winner was Huesca (Not A Single Doubt), who races for an ownership group that includes the WA-based Mount Hallowell Stud, of Hallowell Belle (Starcraft {NZ}) fame, and Emirates Park.
Huesca is only the second foal from the Emirates Park broodmare Highdini (Bernardini {USA}). She was placed at three, and has produced a Dream Ahead (USA) filly and Spirit Of Boom filly at stud, and is in foal to Better Than Ready.
Huesca was sold from the draft of Aquis Farm at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $200,000, bought by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing in partnership with Mount Hallowell Stud, and he is trained by Waterhouse and Bott at Randwick.
Letting it sink in
Before Wednesday, the chestnut colt was unraced, but had won well in two trials through May.
He drew awkwardly at Kensington in barrier nine, and faced a field that included the Newgate-China Horse Club colt Construct (I Am Invincible), who was first in two last-start trials and was a $650,000 yearling purchase at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, as well as Lucky Sun (Maurice {Jpn}), who was experienced with three races behind him.
Huesca was unlucky in the race’s early sectionals and, without getting across, sat three wide and third behind pace-setter Lucky Sun. He was aggressively ridden by jockey Brenton Avdulla, but he stuck on down the straight.
By the 100-metre mark, the colt was in front, and he drew away slightly to win by 0.4l to Famous Pedrille (Territories {Ire}). Construct was dogged to finish third after racing at the back of the pack for most of the way, with Lucky Sun finishing fourth.
Huesca (purple cap) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“There was a lot to like about that,” said co-trainer Adrian Bott. “All up, he’s a very nice colt going forward. He was a Magic Millions purchase, so was in the stables nice and early, and he’s had plenty of education coming here today. He trialled up very nicely prior to today, and we were looking forward to a nice, forward performance, and he’s done that.”
Bott said the ownership group was looking for a staying prospect, and Huesca might be the goods. The trainer added that the horse had covered plenty of extra ground in the race, and did a lot of extra work on the speed.
“I think he’ll be a horse that we see a lot more from in the early spring,” Bott said. “We’ll give him a quick freshen-up now. He’s done enough, and we’ll let that all sink in. We’ll try to map out a target for the spring where he can show his true potential."
