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.
We have a pair of well-bred juveniles locking horns in the opening contest at Ballarat on Tuesday, with Godolphin’s blue-blooded colt Ferghana (Exceed And Excel) resuming from a spell against the Shane Nichols-trained Reigning King (Snitzel), who is equally bred in the purple.
Ballarat, Race 1, 2pm AEDT, Veolia Mdn Plate, $27,000, 1000m
Ferghana, 2-year-old colt (Exceed And Excel x Alizes {NZ} {Rory’s Jester})
The opening contest at Ballarat on Tuesday commands plenty of intrigue and sees the return of Godolphin’s regally bred colt Ferghana, who was all dressed up with nowhere to go on debut in the Max Lees Classic at Newcastle back in November.
Prior to his luckless debut, Ferghana had trialled nicely at Hawkesbury behind stablemate and current G1 Golden Slipper S. favourite Cylinder (Exceed And Excel), and the Godolphin homebred has tuned up for Tuesday’s return to action with a trio of jump-outs at Flemington.
Exceed And Excel | Standing at Darley
Ferghana hails from one of the most progressive families in the Stud Book and is out of the Group 2-winning juvenile Alizes (NZ), making him a sibling to six winners including Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. runner-up Lascars (Sepoy). Most notably, however, Ferghana is a brother to the blue hen mare Essaouira (Exceed And Excel), who is the dam of Darley stallion Astern, Newgate stallion Tassort and multiple Group 1-winning mare Alizee (Sepoy).
The likes of G3 Chairman’s S. winner Zulfiqar (Exceed And Excel) and talented filly Willinga Beast (Snitzel), runner-up in the G2 Percy Sykes S. and G2 Furious S. last year, also feature prominently in this colt’s pedigree, while his sire Exceed And Excel could hardly be enjoying a better season with his juveniles and trails only reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible for the most individual 2-year-old stakes winners this year.
Ferghana will be ridden by Blaike McDougall on Tuesday and has drawn nicely in barrier two.
Ballarat, Race 1, 2pm AEDT, Veolia Mdn Plate, $27,000, 1000m
Reigning King, 2-year-old colt (Snitzel x Courgette {Charge Forward})
In the very same contest, a half-brother to a G1 Golden Slipper S. winner makes his eagerly anticipated debut in the shape of Reigning King, who was purchased by his trainer Shane Nichols for $400,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale last year in conjunction with Matthew Sandblom’s Horse Ventures operation.
By four-time Champion Sire Snitzel, Reigning King is a sibling to five winners, spearheaded by Champion 2-Year-Old Filly She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), who landed the Slipper before training on at three to win the G1 Moir S at The Valley.
Reigning King is also a half-brother to G2 Silver Slipper S. winner Time To Reign, who has covered a total of 153 mares during his first two seasons at stud in the Hunter Valley at Kingstar Farm, as well as the talented Sydney metropolitan winner Rosina Kojonup (Shamus Award), who was purchased by Newgate Bloodstock for $550,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2021.
Reigning King as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
His winning dam, Courgette, is a granddaughter of Group 2-winning juvenile Sunshine Sally (Cheraw {Ire}), who produced a pair of stakes winners of her own at stud including Listed Gimcrack S. heroine Millie (Marscay). Courgette, who sold for $2.1 million to E Thoroughbreds’ Tony Bott at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2018 when in foal to I Am Invincible, died in 2021, meaning that Reigning King is her last foal.
Reigning King has the benefit of two Mornington jump-outs under his belt and has shown impressive gate speed in both of those hitouts, so the 1000-metre trip is expected to suit on debut. He will be ridden by Daniel Stackhouse and has drawn widest of all in barrier 10.
Looking Back
Sunday’s selections returned mixed fortunes, with debutant Autumn Ballet (The Autumn Sun) delivering on the promise of her impressive trial with a history-making victory in the G3 Black Opal S. at Canberra, providing her sire The Autumn Sun with his first stakes winner in the process.
Sunday’s other selection, Zoraydah (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) could not make it a double on the day, but ran with plenty of credit on debut to finish fourth in the Maiden Handicap at the Sunshine Coast.
