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 trio of debutants take our eye. We start at Hamilton, where a half-brother to a smart sprinter steps out for Symon Wilde, then to Scone, where a well-related Snitzel colt makes his bow for Annabel Neasham before we highlight a Godolphin colt with a deep page at Canterbury.
Hamilton, Race 1, 1.30pm AEDT, bet365 3YO Mdn, $25,000, 1100m
Armstrong Bay, 3-year-old gelding (Keep The Faith x Petit Cadeau {Kingston Mill {USA}})
Petit Cadeau, who was a city winner on the track, has been a great producer as a broodmare for the Wilde family with all four of her foals to the track to date winners, including the Listed Wangoom H. winner Inn Keeper (Host {Chi}) and the promising Thunder Point (Host {Chi}). Armstrong Bay, who like his half-brother is named after a feature of the south-west Victorian coastline, is the latest to reach the track for Symon Wilde.
Keep The Faith
He has had four jump-outs this preparation, so should be well and truly ready for his debut. In his latest hitout, he tackled a trio of experienced runners and finished a very close-up second, giving an indication that he has enough talent to handle this maiden task first-up.
Scone, Race 5, 3.40pm AEDT, Kia Ora Mdn, $24,000, 1400m
Seeni, 3-year-old colt (Snitzel x Se Sauver {Bel Esprit})
In a race sponsored by Kia Ora Stud, its colours are represented here with Seeni, who was bred on the farm and retained after being withdrawn from the 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Annabel Neasham has given the well-bred colt a couple of trials and while he didn’t make an impression at his first appearance, he improved greatly the nexttime around, finishing second at Warwick Farm, powering home from the rear.
Snitzel | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
He is out of Group 2 winner Se Sauver, who Kia Ora paid $460,000 for back in 2014 and who has produced three winners, including the Metropolitan victors Escaped (Exceed And Excel) and Escape Artist (Exceed And Excel). Se Sauver's half-brother Escado (Casino Prince) won a G1 South Australian Derby.
Canterbury, Race 1, 6pm AEDT, Drinkwise Plate, $50,000, 1250m
Sandpaper, 2-year-old colt (Snitzel x Smooth {Lonhro})
There are four Godolphin horses tackling this race, two of them on debut, including this very well-bred colt, Sandpaper. He is the first foal from Smooth, the unraced sister to Champion 2-Year-Old and now Coolmore sire Pierro and a half-sister to Group 2 winner Ambience (Street Cry {Ire}). Further back on the pedigree page is French Group 1 winner Laverock (Ire) (Octagonal {NZ}).
James Cummings has taken Sandpaper to the trials twice in the past month and he has been close-up on both occasions. He was third at Warwick Farm and then tackled some very promising horses at Rosehill, finishing fifth alongside the highly rated Great Barrier Reef (I Am Invincible). He should get the right run for Hugh Bowman here from barrier two and be finishing on nicely.
Looking Back
Chenin (Pierro) finished a distant second at Gosford, while Sir Bailey (Impending) worked home well for third at Pakenham. Our runner at Hastings, Sporting Chance (Dundeel {NZ}), could only finish seventh.
