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.
Racing on Tuesday provides two runners of interest at Benalla, including a colt by the star stallion Savabeel in the care of Chris Waller.
Benalla, Race 4, 3pm AEDT, Yarrawonga Hotel Mdn Plate, $27,000, 1212m
Primal Spirit (NZ), 3-year-old gelding (Charm Spirit {Ire} x Primadonna Girl {NZ} {Edenworld {Can}})
Leading trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr will unveil the 3-year-old Primal Spirit (NZ) for his competitive debut on Tuesday at Benalla, with the gelding hailing from a family the operation has enjoyed some of their greatest success with.
He is the half-brother to the dual Group 1-winning superstar I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking), who won the G1 Makybe Diva S. and the G1 Toorak H., as well as taking out The Golden Eagle.
Primal Spirit (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Given his family have historically made better 3-year-olds, there has been no rush to get Primal Spirit to the track, with the gelding given time to learn his craft across a range of jump-outs, including at his home track of Cranbourne.
Thomas Stockdale has been booked for the ride, who strikes at 19.7 per cent when riding for Price and Kent Jnr, almost double his career average of 10 per cent.
Benalla, Race 4, 3pm AEDT, Yarrawonga Hotel Mdn Plate, $27,000, 1212m
Forty Times (NZ), 3-year-old colt (Savabeel x Twenty One Times {NZ} {O’Reilly {NZ}})
Champion Trainer Chris Waller has only ever sent 15 horses to Benalla (for four wins), with the Savabeel colt Forty Times (NZ) set to join the list when he makes his debut at the Tuesday meeting.
The well-related colt is out of a winning O’Reilly (NZ) mare Twenty One Times (NZ), who boasts a rather notable half-sibling on her page. She is a half-sister to star sprinter I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel), making Forty Times a three-quarter brother to the G1 TJ Smith S. winner.
Forty Times (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
He has tuned up for his debut with a number of 800-metre jump-outs going back to August of last year, with the most recent effort a solid third of six at Flemington. He will be partnered by Damien Thornton, who has recently returned to riding in Victoria after a stint in Queensland.
Bhima Thoroughbreds offered the colt at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, but he was passed in. He has subsequently been picked up by Pinecliff Racing, the powerful operation headed by Jonathan Munz.
Looking Back
On Sunday, United Kingdom (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) justified long odds-on favouritism to easily account for his rivals at Geelong, while earlier in the meeting Jungle Dreamer (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}) finished down the track in his debut. Further north at Wyong, Khaznah (Zoustar) made her way into the placings at her first race start.
