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.
Two exciting runners are set to hit the track at Bendigo on Tuesday, including Extreme Choice and Fastnet Rock fillies looking to win on debut.
Bendigo, Race 4, 2.30pm AEDT, Ross Caldwell Plumbing Mdn Plate, $27,000, 1300m
Extreme Virtue, 3-year-old filly (Extreme Choice x Superego {So You Think {NZ}})
Bendigo’s Tuesday meeting will serve as the starting point for the career of Extreme Virtue, a well-bred daughter of Extreme Choice from the Ben, Will and JD Hayes stable.
Extreme Virtue has a strong pedigree with her damline full of influential stallions including Galileo (Ire), Danehill (USA) and Storm Bird (Can) and she is out of the placed So You Think (NZ) mare Superego.
Extreme Virtue as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Some high-performing members of this very successful family are the G1 Australian Oaks winner Danendri (Danehill {USA}), Group 1-winning mare Bonham (Per Incanto {USA}) and the Champion 3-Year-Old filly Faint Perfume (Shamardal {USA}).
Extreme Virtue was a $350,000 purchase by Trilogy Racing Pty Ltd from the draft of Blue Gum Farm at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Bendigo, Race 5, 3pm AEDT, cluBarham Mdn Plate, $27,000, 1000m
Fastina, 3-year-old filly (Fastnet Rock x Fiorentina {Dubai Destination {USA}})
Bendigo’s Tuesday meeting will serve as the starting point for the career of Fastina, a well-bred daughter of Fastnet Rock from the Ciaron Maher stable.
The well-related filly is out of the Dubai Destination (USA) mare Fiorentina, who was unraced on the track but has become a star in the breeding shed.
Fiorentina’s second foal, Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}), won seven races including the G1 William Reid S. At the end of her racing career Silent Sedition sold at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $1.5 million with Katsumi Yoshida being the successful purchaser.
Fastina as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Fastina’s second dam is the Barathea (Ire) mare Porto Roca, she was a star on the track and in the barn, winning the G1 Coolmore Classic. Another claim to fame is leaving the G1 Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Other successful family members include Happy Galaxy (Nadeem) and Perfect World (Pride Of Dubai).
Since producing Fastina, Fiorentina has produced an as yet-to-race Merchant Navy 2-year-old filly, a Merchant Navy yearling colt and a St Mark's Basilica (Fr) filly in the spring, she was most recently served by Best Of Bordeaux.
Fastina was a $500,000 purchase by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock/Australian Bloodstock/Lustre Lodge from the draft of Coolmore Stud at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Looking Back
Our selections on Sunday fared well with Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) finishing second at Ballarat in the Porter Plant Man Plate. Melisseus (Dundeel {NZ}) was third at Ballarat and Zoomed (Zoustar) finished 6th in the Merchant Butchers Newborough Cup Mdn Plate.
