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.
Friday at Pakenham, we look at a western-bred gelding whose half-brother is a Queensland Guineas winner, plus a Churchill (Ire) gelding whose dam is a half-sister to the Epsom winner Captain Sonador. At Albury, we’ve got a late-blooming mare from the family of Sky Cuddle (Snippets).
Pakenham, Race 2, 5.45pm AEDT, Sportsbet Bet With Mates Mdn, $40,000, 1200m
Fields Of Joy, 4-year-old gelding (Deep Field x Salsify {Grand Lodge {USA}})
Four-year-old Fields Of Joy is from the Grand Lodge (USA) mare Salsify, who is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Darci Coup (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}). The gelding is a half-brother to the very useful G2 Queensland Guineas winner Salsonic (Hinchinbrook) and the stakes-placed Kirinata (Stratum).
Fields Of Joy was bred in Western Australia and consigned to the 2020 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale by Gervase Park Stud. He was sold to Gangemi Racing Stables for $130,000.
Fields Of Joy as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The gelding is unraced for Cranbourne trainer Enver Jusufovic, but he’s been in and out of five preparations so far, so he’s had a lot of jump-out experience. He’s been placed in his latest two, and he comes into this debut with apprentice rider Logan McNeil and barrier five.
Pakenham, Race 7, 8.15pm AEDT, Michael Muaremov & Associates Mdn, $40,000, 1400m
Oxfordshire, 3-year-old gelding (Churchill {Ire} x Heavens Touch {Choisir})
Oxfordshire is the fourth foal from the mile-winning mare Heavens Touch, a daughter of Choisir whose half-brother was the G1 Epsom H. winner and later sire Captain Sonador. Both were the offspring of the second dam on this page, Pushing Daisies (Kenny’s Best Pal), who was a half-sister to the dual Group 2 winner Umaline (Umatilla {NZ}).
This Churchill (Ire) gelding was bred by the South African-based Klawervlei Stud, east of Cape Town, and consigned by Willow Park Stud to the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where he fetched $250,000 from Anthony Freedman Racing and Blue Sky Bloodstock (FBAA). He is raced in the Coolmore colours.
Oxfordshire as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Oxfordshire is trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman at Flemington, and he is unraced. He’s had plenty of jump-outs, though he hasn’t been particularly sharp in any, and he has drawn barrier one for this debut with jockey Damien Thornton.
Albury, Race 1, 3.25pm AEDT, North Albury Tyre Power Country Boosted Mdn, $30,000, 1175m
All So Easy, 5-year-old mare (All Too Hard x Yolane {Zizou})
Five-year-old All So Easy is from the Zizou mare Yolane, who was a half-sister to the Group 3-winning, multiple Group-placed race mare Champagne Cuddles (Not A Single Doubt). Both are daughters of the Group 1-winning mare Sky Cuddle, and this has been a very good-producing family for Stuart Ramsey’s Turangga Farm.
This mare was bred by Dartbrook Downs in 2017 and consigned to the 2019 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. She was sold for $55,000 to Todd Smart Horse Racing, and she’s trained by Smart at Canberra.
All So Easy as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
All So Easy has taken her time getting to the races. Her first preparation was in 2020, and then she wasn’t seen again until September this year. She’s been fourth in a pair of trials since then, both on Heavy ground, and she has barrier one in this debut with jockey Billy Owen.
Looking Back
Our Looking Ahead selections on Thursday were relatively luckless. At Hawkesbury, Silent Raindrops (Sebring) was third and Sumo Star (Maurice {Jpn}) was unplaced. At Flemington, Capulet (Extreme Choice) was also unplaced.
