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.
On New Year's Day, we are tracking a first starter from Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr at Flemington and a pair of debutantes from the Waterhouse/Bott stables engaged at Kensington.
Flemington Race 1, 1:15pm AEDT, New Year's Sprint, $125,000, 1000m
Parlophone (I Am Invincible) makes her debut for Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr off an impressive recent jumpout performance at Sandown a couple of weeks back where she showed any amount of pace before being pushed out to win by a clear margin.
I Am Invincible, sire of Parlophone
She is a homebred out of stakes winner Roulettes (Flying Spur), who has already left Sun City (Zoustar), a winner of the G3 Bruce McLachlan S. as well as stakes-placed Spin (I Am Invincible). Roulettes, who has a colt by Deep Field on offer by Attunga Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, is a half-sister to multiple Group winner Royal Discretion (Royal Academy {USA}).
Kensington Race 1, 1:35pm AEDT, Press Statement@Vinery H. $60,000, 1100m
A $400,000 buy for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Vangelic (Vancouver) makes her debut for the trainers off a recent Hawkesbury barrier trial where she was narrowly beaten.
Vangelic as a yearling
She brings a very strong pedigree to the track, from the first crop of Vancouver out of a stakes-placed mare in Angel Bee (NZ) (Pins), who has already produced a winner in Isa Rocket (Fastnet Rock). Angel Bee is a half-sister to two other stakes-placed horses out of the Group 3 winning mare Zabeel's Angel (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), whose own dam is a three-quarter sister to Group 1 winning 2-year-old old Fothers (NZ) (Taipan II {USA}).
Kensington Race 3, 2:45pm AEDT, Drinkwise Plate. $60,000, 1400m
Waterhouse and Bott also debut a promising 3-year-old in Whitchety Grub (Wandjina), who was bred and is raced by Go Bloodstock. She has had no less than six trials ahead of her debut here, but she was impressive in her most recent, sitting outside the pace before shooting clear to win with authority.
Wandjina, sire of Whitchety Grub
She is out of metro winning mare Ice Creme (Encosta De Lago), who is a half-sister to the Group 1 winner Ike's Dream (King Of Kings {Ire}) and the stakes-placed Miss Hurry Khan (Hurricane Sky) as well as four other winners. This filly's third dam Beans (Blazing Saddles) hails from one of the stronger families in the Stud Book.
