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.
Thursday at Albury, we look at an unraced filly whose dam is a full sister to a very good Group winner, while at Gosford, we’ve got a filly whose dam is Group 1 placed. At Pakenham, the 2-year-old race features a colt from a dual Group 3-winning mare.
Albury, Race 3, 3.15pm AEDT, Bosse Family Mdn, $27,000, 900m
Pay The Russian, 3-year-old filly (Russian Revolution x Positive Charge {Charge Forward})
This unraced filly is the second foal from the stakes-placed mare Positive Charge, who was third in the Listed Denise’s Joy S. at Scone. Positive Charge is a full sister to Slightly Sweet, whose three stakes wins included the G3 James HB Carr S., G3 Keith Nolan Classic and Listed Winter S. She was also placed in the G2 Light Fingers S. and G2 Surround S.
Pay The Russian was bred by Go Bloodstock and initially consigned to the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by Newgate Farm, but she was withdrawn. She is now raced by Blackjack Racing.
Russian Revolution | Standing at Newgate Farm
The filly is trained at Jerilderie by Phil Sweeney, and she’s had two barrier trials to date. Both have been good, with a runner-up and third-place finish. Pay The Russian will debut in this race from barrier six and she has apprentice rider Molly Bourke aboard.
Gosford, Race 6, 4.10pm AEDT, Gosford IT Provincial Mdn, $45,000, 1200m
Monopoly Girl, 3-year-old filly (Capitalist x Traveston Girl {Flying Spur})
This bay filly was bred by SF Bloodstock and partners, and she’s the third foal from the well-performed mare Traveston Girl. The latter is a dual stakes-winner who was second in the G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield and third in the G3 Gold Coast Guineas. This is the same family as the very good gelding Defier (Dehere {USA}), a three-time Group 1 winner.
Monopoly Girl was consigned by Newgate Farm to the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where she was bought by Sam Kavanagh for $200,000.
Monopoly Girl as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She is trained at Newcastle by Kavanagh and she’s had a long prep leading into this debut, with four trials. In the latest at Wyong on January 24, she was third. In this debut she has drawn barrier two.
Pakenham, Race 1, 5.45pm AEDT, Tasmanian Magic Millions Voucher 2YO Mdn, (Chute), $40,000, 1200m
Veight, 2-year-old colt (Grunt {NZ} x Neena Rock {Fastnet Rock})
This juvenile colt is from the Fastnet Rock mare Neena Rock, a winner of the G3 Angst S. and G3 Cuddle S. She was also third in the G3 Sheraco S. The third dam on this page is the interesting Demure (USA), a daughter of Dr Fager (USA) and the dam of the American Group 1 winner and sire Quiet American (USA), and the stakes winner Kapalua (USA) (Caro {Ire}).
Veight was bred by Yulong and consigned to the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in 2022. He was part of the Sledmere draft and sold to McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) for $220,000. He’d been a $100,000 weanling purchase for Sledmere at the Magic Millions National Sale.
Veight as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Veight is trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy at Ballarat. He’s had two very good jump-outs, the latest of which provided a win over 850 metres. In this debut he will be ridden by Damian Lane from barrier six.
Looking Back
Our Looking Ahead selections on Wednesday were luckless. At Canterbury Park, Snowman (Snitzel) was unplaced (fifth), while at Warrnambool, Rocket Scientist (Dundeel {NZ}) was a scratching.
