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.
Three exciting runners are set to hit the track across Australia on Saturday, including a Tassort filly chasing Listed success in Adelaide, a Too Darn Hot (GB) running in a Group 2 at Randwick and a well bred Fastnet Rock gelding kicking his career off at Hawkesbury.
Hawkesbury, Race 4, 3.10pm AEDT, I Hire 2 U Super Mdn., $60,000, 1300m
Wizards, 3-year-old gelding (Fastnet Rock x Dreams And Wishes {Galileo} {Ire}})
Hawkesbury’s Saturday meeting will serve as the starting point for the career of Wizards, a well-bred son of Fastnet Rock from the Ciaron Maher stable.
Wizards is the fifth foal out of the beautifully bred Galileo (Ire) mare Dreams And Wishes who was successful on two occasions over the mile distance. The second dam of Wizards is the Jade Hunter (USA) mare Procrastinate, she was talented on the track being a Group 3 winner but excelled as a broodmare leaving five individual stakes winners including the Champion South African Sprinter Laisserfaire (Danehill {USA}), Foreplay (Danehill {USA}), A Time For Julia (Redoute’s Choice), Time Thief and Personify (Galileo {Ire}). Personify also has kept up the family tradition leaving the G1 VRC Oaks winner Personal (Fastnet Rock).
Wizards as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Dreams And Wishes has since foaled a Bivouac yearling colt, a Too Darn Hot filly foal and was most recently served by the globetrotting stallion Starspangledbanner.
Wizards was a $300,000 purchase by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock from the draft of Vinery Stud at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Murray Bridge, Race 4, 11.25am AEDT (10.55am local), Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic, $202,250, 1100m
Ad Astra, 2-year-old filly (Tassort x Ms Mazetti {Lonhro})
The Michael Hickmott-trained Ad Astra will travel to Murray Bridge on Saturday to have her second start over 1100 metres after a very good second on debut in the Listed Cinderella S.
This Tassort filly is the fifth foal from the Lonhro mare Ms Mazetti, who was a winner on the track as a juvenile. Ms Mazetti has left three-winners including the Hong Kong four-time winner Harmony Fire (Brazen Beau), Positive Tension (Written Tycoon) who was successful six times and the three-time winner Brazetti (Brazen Beau).
Ad Astra | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Newgate Farm’s Tassort has made a very promising start to his stud career having already left Manaal in his first crop. She has already been successful in the G2 Sweet Embrace S., and the G3 Gimcrack S. He has been very popular at stud which resulted in him being the busiest stallion in Australia last spring serving 232 mares, Ad Astra could become the next stakes winner for this promising young sire.
Ad Astra was a $160,000 purchase by Michael Hickmott Bloodstock and Andrew Campbell Bloodstock from the draft of Kingstar Farm at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Royal Randwick, Race 2, 1.05pm AEDT, G2 Reisling S., $300,000, 1200m
Silmarillion, 2-year-old filly (Too Darn Hot {GB} x Yavanna {Redoute’s Choice})
The well-related Silmarillion is set to have her second start for Godolphin’s head trainer James Cummings on the back of a promising third-placing on debut at Canterbury on February 23 over 1100 metres. This is a big step up into Group 2 company but she looks like she can cope with it, as she searches for valuable black type.
Silmarillion is a daughter of Darley’s exciting young sire Too Darn Hot and is the eighth foal from the Redoute’s Choice mare Yavanna. She had two wins on the track prior to forging a very successful broodmare career.
Too Darn Hot (GB) | Standing at Darley
Yavanna has left two Group winners at stud including the G1 Randwick Guineas winner Kementari (Lonhro) and the Westbury Stud-based stallion Telperion - a son of Street Cry (Ire) - who won the ATC Lonhro Plate. Adding to her fine record are the stakes-placed duo Valaquenta (Street Boss {USA}) and Palurien (Reset).
Silmarillion’s second dam is the Loup Sauvage (USA) mare Wild Queen, she was successful on the track winning 10 races with five of them being in stakes races. She has also been a stakes producer with Varda (Lonhro) winning the Listed BRC Chief de Beers H.
Yavanna since producing Silmarillion has a Pinatubo (Ire) foal half-sister and was served again by Too Darn Hot last spring.
Looking Back
Not much luck for our Friday Selections. Our best of the day came via Just Party (Justify {USA}) who ran second at Newcastle. The Big Blue (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) and Just Immortal (Justify {USA}) finished 10th and sixth in their respective races at the same meeting.
