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.
Thursday at Wyong, we look to a New Zealand-bred gelding from the family of a G1 Wellington Cup winner. At Queanbeyan, we’ve got a Hellbent filly from the direct family of the Zoustar siblings Sunlight and Sisstar.
Wyong, Race 3, 3.05pm AEDT, Thorn-Omega Power-PSA-Schneider Mdn, $40,000, 1600m
Sir Smitty (NZ), 4-year-old gelding (Proisir x Our Milly Smith {NZ} {Volksraad {GB}})
This unraced gelding is from the Volksraad (GB) mare Our Milly Smith (NZ), who was a five-time winner. She is a three-quarter sister to the stakes-placed mare The Speaker (NZ), and a full sister to Willy Smith (NZ), who won the 2007 G1 Wellington Cup.
Further along this pedigree is the O’Reilly (NZ) mare O’Fille (NZ), who was a dual Group 3 winner and second in the G1 Zabeel Classic, and later the dam of the G3 Caulfield Classic winner Albarado (NZ) (Savabeel).
Proisir | Standing at Rich Hill Stud
Sir Smitty (NZ) is trained by Bjorn Baker at Warwick Farm. He’s had two trials this preparation, in the last at Hawkesbury running second on November 28. He will have jockey Josh Parr from barrier five for this debut.
Queanbeyan, Race 7, 5.50pm AEDT, Queanbeyan Leagues Club Mdn, $27,000, 900m
Noble Serenade, 3-year-old filly (Hellbent x Soul Serenade {Charge Forward})
This filly by Hellbent is from the Charge Forward mare Soul Serenade, who is especially well-bred as a three-quarter sister to Solar Charged (Charge Forward), the dam of Champion filly Sunlight and her full sister Sisstar. This is a prolific female family that also includes the Listed Tasmanian Oaks winner Causeway Queen (Giant’s Causeway {USA}).
Noble Serenade was consigned by Middlebrook Valley Lodge to the 2021 Inglis HTBA May Yearling Sale, where she was passed in with a reserve of $20,000.
Noble Serenade as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She was retained by her breeder and put in training with Robert and Luke Price at Kembla Grange, and she’s had two unplaced trials to date. She will have jockey Louise Day in this debut from barrier seven.
Looking Back
From our Looking Ahead selections on Wednesday, at Warwick Farm, Deciduous (The Autumn Sun) was second and Windshadow (Redoute's Choice) was scratched. At Sandown, Ngorongoro (Smart Missile) was unplaced.
