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 Thursday, we start out with a promising filly on debut at Otaki, then head to Kembla Grange, where a Savabeel gelding and a filly by Deep Field looks to register wins.
Otaki, Race 4, 1.35pm NZDT, 11:35am AEDT, Gardner Homes Mdn, NZ$10,000, 1200m
Key (Exceed And Excel) creates huge interest in this Otaki maiden for trainers Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard, having cost her owner Gary Harding $500,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Exceed And Excel, sire of Key | Standing at Darley
She boasts a strong pedigree, being out of Vanilla Princess (Lonhro), who is the daughter of the multiple Group 1 winner and champion filly Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago), who also produced the Group 3 winner Thewizardofoz (Redoute's Choice).
Key has had three trials ahead of her debut, the most recent which saw her win with some authority at Foxton, giving the impression she won't be long breaking her maiden. She also holds a nomination for next month's G1 NZ 1000 Guineas.
Kembla Grange, Race 2, 2.05pm AEDT, Tony M arney Mdn, $35,000, 1300m
High Supremacy (NZ) (Savabeel) has been building towards a debut off a couple of recent quiet trials and steps out here for the first time for Richard and Michael Freedman in the Dynamic Syndications colours.
Savabeel, sire of High Supremacy (NZ) | Standing at Waikato Stud
He was a NZ$190,000 buy at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka and is out of a very well-performed New Zealand family. His dam, Lady Chaparral (NZ) was a Group 3 winner and is half-sister to G1 NZ Oaks winner Bramble Rose (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}). She, in turn, is the dam of a trio of stakeswinners in Tangled (Snitzel), Sebrose (Sebring) and Maules Creek (Redoute's Choice).
Kembla Grange, Race 4, 3.15pm AEDT, Mark Newnham Class 1 H. $35,000, 1000m
Mark Newnham looks to win the race named after him here with the promising filly Zanzidance (Deep Field), who was narrowly successful in a maiden at Hawkesbury last time out at her third start and looks well-placed to make it back-to-back here.
Zanzidance as a yearling
She cost James Bester and Eric Lucas $320,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is out of Dance Card (Exceed And Excel), who has already produced the stakes-placed Rome (Pierro), who was a $1.05 million yearling. Dance Card is a half-sister to the Group winning sprinter Kaepernick (Fastnet Rock), with both of them out of the Listed winner Volcada (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}). That's also the family of Group 1 winner Spright (Hinchinbrook).
