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.
Promising types by Trapeze Artist and Pierata chase success across Australia on Sunday.
Picklebet Park Wodonga, Race 3, 2.05pm AEST, Picklebet Jack Maher 2YO Classic, $32,000, 1200m
Art Tou It, 2-year-old colt (Trapeze Artist x Shantou {Sepoy})
The Adrian Corboy-trained 2-year-old Art Tou It (Trapeze Artist) makes his debut at Wodonga on Sunday after trialling and jumping out quite nicely in recent times.
Art Tou It is out of the three-time winner Shantou (Sepoy) who has already left two winners at stud. Art Tou It’s grandam is the very talented filly Shanzero (Danzero) who was successful in the G3 Wellington Stakes and was placed in the G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes as a 3-year-old filly.
Trapeze Artist | Standing at Widden Stud
This is also the family of the five-time winner Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}), who this season was successful in the G3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes, as well as the Group 3-winner and multiple Group 1-placed She’s Ideel (Dundeel {NZ}).
Shantou, in recent years, has left a yearling colt by Exceed And Excel, a weanling colt by Pride Of Dubai and was served again by Pride Of Dubai last November.
Art Tou It was purchased by A Farmer for a modest price of $1000 out of the Alma Vale and Kitchwin Hills Partnership draft at the 2024 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale.
Sunshine Coast, Race 1, 12.07pm AEST, Vawdrew C,G&E Class 1 Handicap, $85,000, 1200m
Whispering Rogue, 3-year-old gelding (Pierata x Artful Whisper (USA) {Machiavellian {USA}})
The Chris and Corey Munce-trained Whispering Rogue (Pierata) will be chasing his second win at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday. It has been a while since he won his maiden, but he has been racing very consistently and deserves a winning turn.
The consistent gelding is the ninth and last foal out of the Macchiavellian (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 six 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.
Looking Back
Lorax (Zoustar) - Ran a brave third at Randwick resuming off a decent break, while Half Pipe (Extreme Warrior) ran a solid enough seventh in the same race. He was caught wide and wasn't beaten far.
Jacaranda (Home Affairs) - Ran fourth in the Listed Lightning Stakes to be the first 2-year-old across the line.
