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.
Today, we like the prospects at Scone of a couple of lightly-raced gallopers from successful international families and at Geelong a filly with a rich Group 1 background gets our seal of approval.
Scone, Race 1, 12.20pm AEST, Cressfield Stud Mdn, $45,000, 1000m
Married To The Mob (Foxwedge) makes a fresh start here following an encouraging first campaign and a handy lead-up trial suggests he can return on a winning note. He was runner-up on debut to the highly-regarded Rothfire (Rothesay) and was then unplaced, but less than 4l off the talented Wisdom Of Water (Headwater), who has since won again, before a break.
Married To The Mob as a yearling
Trained by Kris Lees, Married To The Mob boasts an international pedigree and is a son of Pfeiffer (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}) and she is a half-sister to the stakes-winner Nature’s Colors (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}). Their dam Sundrop (Jpn) (Sunday Silence {USA}) won the G3 Epsom Princess Elizabeth S. and was a multiple Group 1 placegetter. It is also the family of the two-time Group 1 winner and sire Northern Spur (Ire).
Scone, Race 3, 1.30pm AEST, Horsepower Class 1 H., $45,000, 1600m
Secretly Awesome (Snitzel) is a half-brother to the multiple winner and two-time Group 1 placegetter Frankly Awesome (Frankel {GB}) and was a $250,000 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale purchase. He is out of the stakes-winner Street Secret (USA) (Street Cry {Ire}) and she is from the family of the three-time Group 1 winner and Champion Sire Galileo (Ire).
Snitzel, sire of Secretly Awesome | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
Secretly Awesome is prepared by Gerald Ryan and off the back of a trial success he was a debut second at Newcastle before the 3-year-old comfortably went one better at Wyong last month. Another trial win since showed he was ready to continue his winning habit.
Geelong, Race 1, 11.55am AEST, Geelong 3YO Fillies’ Mdn, $20,700, 1325m
Loco Mojo (Sebring) is a half-sister to the dual winner Kaluapapa (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) and their winning dam Mambo Lady (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) is a half-sister to the G3 Standish H. winner Decircles (Encosta De Lago).
The late Sebring, sire of Loco Mojo
They are out of a half-sister to the Group 1 winners and sires Elvstroem and Haradasun and to the dam of the globe-trotting multiple Group 1 winner and sire Highland Reel (Ire). The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Loco Mojo showed significant improvement on her unplaced run at debut to finish third at Cranbourne last month and with Damien Oliver in the saddle the filly looks worthy of support.
