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.
Expect all eyes to be on the opening race of unraced horses at Caulfield on Saturday and the red cap of a filly for Busuttin Racing who comes out of an exceptional family. It's then to Rosehill to see if a last-start winner can back it up against familiar rivals, followed soon after at the same track where a hype-horse for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will be put to a real test.
Caulfield, Race 1, 12.45pm AEDT, Ann Kilkenny H., $130,000, 1000m
Bonheur, 2-year-old filly (I Am Invincible x Bonaria {Redoute’s Choice})
Even if Bonheur did not dominate her latest jump-out to race away to win by 7l you would have to go a long way to find a pedigree to get more excited about, and have confidence in, for a 2-year-old horse on debut.
Linda Meech will steer the Busuttin/Young-trained filly they purchased at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $925,000 from the Widden Stud draft and jumps from barrier three.
Bonheur as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Dam Bonaria was a Group 1 winner, you don’t need to go much deeper into the family to find her half-siblings who include the likes of Coolmore-standing sire Merchant Navy, plus Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock), Legally Bay (Snippets), Time Out (Rory’s Jester), Paulele (Dawn Approach {Ire}), Tessera (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), Montsegur (New Approach {Ire}) and Heresy (Street Boss {USA}) with a combined 12 Group-level wins between them, including Merchant Navy’s two Group 1 wins.
Rosehill Gardens, Race 3, 1.35pm AEDT, Precise Air H., $130,000, 1500m
Fashchanel (NZ), 5-year-old mare (I Am Invincible x Elegant Fashion {Danewin})
The last-start winner for John O’Shea will be looking to get to the front once again to dictate terms and goes into the race against familiar rivals as favourite and the top weight, but with apprentice Reece Jones getting a 3kg claim to take her under the main challengers.
Fashchanel as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She is Group 2-raced and her mother, Elegant Fashion a Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed. Fashchanel was a $400,000 purchase by Peachester Lodge from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in 2018. She is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Star Fashion (Street Cry {Ire}).
Rosehill Gardens, Race 6, 3.20pm AEDT, ACY Securities H., $130,000, 1100m
Twilight Affair, 4-year-old mare (Zoustar x Sunset Affair {Exceed And Excel})
There was plenty of hype around Twilight Affair when she strung together three Randwick trial wins in a row in a month starting in October. Interestingly, only one other of the horses from those three trials has broken its maiden, that being Panzarella (Panzer Division).
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained mare was run down on debut but was too good at her last start and will be put to a real test to get a true measure of her ability in this higher class.
Twilight Affair from the broodmare sale | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
She was a $400,000 yearling at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and on-sold for $55,000 to Adrian Bott Racing in the 2020 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale as a going concern racer. Sunset Affair was a winner and was placed in a Listed race. Her only other foal to race, Bachelor (Sepoy), won three races.
Looking Back
Our selections for Friday were a bit of a miss, with Private Sector (Capitalist) and Mon Cheval (Vadamos {Fr}) both scratched and the only remaining selection, Barani (Street Boss {USA}), running a disappointing last on debut at Canterbury Park.
