Looking Ahead highlights runners of interest across Australia and New Zealand. Whether they are an exceptionally well-bred or high-priced runner early in their career chasing maiden success, a promising galloper returning to the track or a horse that has trialled particularly well, we’ll aim to give you something to follow.
Three exciting 3-year-olds by Zoustar, Pierata and Wootton Bassett (GB) will be chasing success across Australia on Friday.
Newcastle, Race 3, 1.45pm AEDT, Spartan Central Coast Feb 3YO Maiden Handicap, $42,000, 1250m
Zoufield, 3-year-old colt (Zoustar x Grasslands {Snitzel})
Zoufield, a son of Widden Stud’s Champion stallion Zoustar, will debut at Newcastle on Saturday for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
He has looked handy at his trials, including a solid second behind Magenta Skies (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at Randwick on August 7.
Zoufield as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Zoufield is the fourth foal from the well-related Grasslands (Snitzel), who was a dual winner on the track. She is a full sister to Away Game (Snitzel), who won $3.75 million on the track, including the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes. She was very unlucky not to win a Group 1, although she did manage three Group 1 placings, including running second in the G1 Golden Slipper as a juvenile.
Another full sister is Modern Wonder (Snitzel), who was successful at Listed level among her three wins.
Since producing Zoufield, Grasslands has left a 2-year-old filly by Zoustar, a yearling filly by Capitalist, and is due to foal to Capitalist again this spring.
Zoufield was purchased for $500,000 by TFI, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, and Kestrel Thoroughbreds from the 2024 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from The Chase draft.
Eagle Farm, Race 2, 12.23pm AEDT, Country Music Raceday 6 September QTIS 3YO Handicap, $85,000, 1200m
Whispering Rogue, 3-year-old colt (Pierata x Artful Whisper (USA) {Machiavellian {USA}})
The Chris and Corey Munce-trained Whispering Rogue (Pierata) will have his fourth start at Eagle Farm on Saturday over 1200 metres. He has very solid form; he placed in his first two starts as a juvenile, and then he won very nicely at Doomben at his last start over 1350 metres.
The promising colt is the ninth and last foal out of the Machiavellian (USA) mare Artful Whisper (USA), who was placed in Great Britain on the track.
Whispering Rogue as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
She has turned out to be a fantastic broodmare, leaving five winners, with the best of them clearly being Whispering Brook (Hinchinbrook), who was a 10-time winner, with seven of them being at stakes level. At the end of her racing career, she was sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.1 million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Whispering Rogue was purchased for $135,000 from the Kenmore Lodge draft by Munce Racing and Arthur Hoyeau from the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Book 2.
Royal Randwick, Race 6, 2.35pm, AEDT, Sintoro G2 Silver Shadow Stakes, $300,000, 1200m
Agarwood, 3-year-old filly (Wootton Bassett (GB) x Paulownia {Fastnet Rock})
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Agarwood (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will aim to stay unbeaten as she lines up in the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
The talented filly won both of her juvenile starts in impressive fashion, and after a small break, she has won both trials in preparation for her resuming run as a 3-year-old.
Agarwood as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She is the third winner from as many foals to race out of Paulownia (Fastnet Rock), a Group 2 placegetter in New Zealand and a full sister to Group 1 winner and sire Foxwedge, as well as Listed winner She’s A Fox (Fastnet Rock).
Paulownia has already made an impact at stud, leaving Lilac (Justify {USA}), who in her career so far has already won the G3 James HB Carr Stakes and the Listed Jim Moloney Stakes.
Since leaving Agarwood, Paulownia has left a 2-year-old colt by Home Affairs, and is due to foal to Justify (USA) any day now.
Agarwood was a $420,000 purchase by Waterhouse, Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds from the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Looking Back
Bedourie (Written Tycoon) - Was a very good winner at Geelong. He sustained his run nicely and bounded away.
Bajaria (I Am Invincible) - Ran a good third at Geelong. She still raced a bit green, so there is plenty of improvement to come.
