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.
Friday night’s cards at Canterbury in Sydney and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland play host to several well-credentialled youngsters, including a horse who was Group placed on debut. We also take a look at a well-bred newcomer - the first foal out of Group 1 winner Dixie Blossoms (Street Sense {USA}) - as she prepares to make her debut.
Canterbury Park, Race 2, 6.30pm AEDT, Precise Air H., $60,000, 1250m
Al Flores, 3-year-old filly (Exceed And Excel x Dixie Blossoms {Street Sense {USA}})
There will be plenty of intrigue surrounding the eagerly anticipated debut of Al Flores at Canterbury on Friday night given that she will be the first foal to race out of star mare Dixie Blossoms, whose glittering career included victory in the G1 Coolmore Classic, as well as back-to-back successes in both the G2 Guy Walter S. and G3 Angst S.
By Darley stalwart Exceed And Excel, to whom Dixie Blossoms had been exclusively mated up until she visited reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible this season, Al Flores is trained by the very same man who masterminded Dixie Blossoms’ hugely successful racing career, Ron Quinton.
Exceed And Excel | Standing at Darley
The 3-year-old filly created a favourable impression when second in her very first barrier trial back in May of last year, but she has failed to make the frame in her three subsequent hitouts, including when weakening into fourth over 902 metres at Canterbury earlier this month.
Al Flores will be ridden by Sam Clipperton, who has been aboard for three of her four barrier trials to date, and has drawn barrier five of 10 for her debut.
Canterbury Park, Race 3, 7.00pm, Prague Yearlings Selling Now H., $60,000, 1250m
Customized, 2-year-old colt (Capitalist x Single Sapphire {Not A Single Doubt})
It is still relatively early in the season for a 2-year-old to be taking on older horses, but that is exactly what exciting juvenile Customized (Capitalist) will be doing at Canterbury on Friday night when he attempts to build on the promise of his debut effort behind subsequent R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic hero Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) in the G3 BJ McLachlan S.
A $400,000 purchase by the James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Customized is by Harron’s G1 Golden Slipper S. hero and Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Capitalist. It’s a family that the leading bloodstock agent knows all too well, having purchased Customized’s winning dam, Single Sapphire, as a yearling for $520,000 on behalf of successful owner-breeder Belinda Bateman, who subsequently bred Customized and retained a share of the ownership.
Customized as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
This is also the family of stakes-winning juvenile Twilight Royale (Testa Rossa), whose five winners to date include recent G2 Sandown Guineas winner Serasana (Snitzel).
Customized, who won a barrier trial at Randwick in impressive fashion prior to his debut third at Eagle Farm, gets the services of leading hoop James McDonald for his second career start, where he is due to take on six 3-year-olds and one other juvenile.
Sunshine Coast, Race 4, 8.38pm AEST, TAB 100'S & 1000'S 3YO Maiden Plate, $100,000, 1000m
Ser Joh, 3-year-old gelding (Capitalist x Transcendence {Exceed And Excel})
Friday night’s meeting at the Sunshine Coast includes an extremely lucrative maiden and the track has been rewarded with a competitve-looking capacity field for the $100,000 contest, in which Robert Heathcote’s promising galloper Ser Joh will bid to go one better than when narrowly denied over Friday’s very same course and distance back in June.
Ser Joh has had one barrier trial since that agonising 0.3l defeat, winning his five-runner heat at Doomben with ease last month when piloted by Friday’s raceday jockey Robbie Dolan, who has been in a rich vein of form of late. That hitout should ensure he is up to the mark fitness wise for his reappearance, for which he has drawn perfectly in barrier four, on what will be his first outing since being gelded.
Ser Joh as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
A $400,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling purchase by his trainer in conjunction with The Osher Group, Ser Joh is out of the unraced Exceed And Excel mare Transcendence, who is a half-sister to multiple city winner and stakes placegetter Deep Sceiva (Deep Field).
Further back, Ser Joh hails from a very successful European family which includes G1 Lockinge S. winner Mustashry (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}), successful Group 1-producing stallion Gutaifan (Ire) and Italian Group 1 hero Ventura Storm (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), the latter of whom also won the G2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup on Australian soil.
Looking Back
There was no joy for Thursday's selections at Pakenham, with Irish Storm (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) finishing down the track in the second race on the program, before Give Her A Medal (Shamus Award) and Triumphant Pass (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) also both failed to make the frame in the sixth race on the card.
