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 early in its career chasing maiden success, a promising galloper returning to the track or a horse which has trialled particularly well, we’ll aim to give you something to follow.
Three exciting runners are set to race across Australia on Thursday, including a very well-bred The Autumn Sun filly debuting at Cranbourne, a Per Incanto (USA) brings very solid form to a maiden also at Cranbourne and a Hellbent gelding looks ready for maiden success at Hawkesbury.
Cranbourne, Race 1, 12.25pm, AEST, Ladbroke It! 3YO Fillies Mdn P., $37,500, 1200m
Witter, 3-year-old filly (The Autumn Sun x Miss Dodwell (Falbrav {Ire})
Thursday’s Cranbourne meeting will be the venue for the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young trained well-bred Witter to make her debut. She has prepared for this assignment with a tidy second at the Cranbourne Synthetic jump outs on July 15.
Witter is by Arrowfield Stud’s promising sire The Autumn Sun and is the tenth foal out of the Falbrav (Ire) mare Miss Dodwell who was a winner on debut at 1200 metres during her brief racing career.
Witter as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She has become an outstanding broodmare leaving nine foals to race and all of these have been winners, with the best of them being the super classy and tough mare Kenedna (Not A Single Doubt) she was successful ten times including in the G1 Queen Of The Turf S., G1 Doomben Cup, G2 Matriarch S., G2 PJ O’Shea S., G2 The Roses, G3 Vanity S., G3 Auraria S., and the Listed Laelia S.
Miss Dodwell's other progeny include the ill-fated Stallion, Spill The Beans who was the victor in the G2 QTC Cup, G3 Eskimo Prince S., and the G3 Hawkesbury Guineas and the winners Matusalem (The Autumn Sun), Standoubt (Not A Single Doubt), Do Well Legend (Not A Single Doubt), Kevikki (Smart Missile), Lady Patricia (Snitzel), Born Conqueror (Snitzel) and Full Of Beans (Smart Missile).
Miss Dodwell also has the mantle of being a half-sister to the tough gelding Yammer (Bellotto {USA}) who was successful twelve times from 1100 metres to 2400 metres including the G3 Rain Lover P., Listed Auckland Racing Club H., Listed Bendigo Cup and the Listed Anniversary Cup. Another half-sister is Blab (Flying Spur) who won the Listed Silver Jubilee S., and then went on to produce the Group 1 winner Speak Fondly (Northern Meteor) and the Group 2 winning gelding Wild and Proud (Snowland).
Witter was a $300,000 purchase by Busuttin Racing/Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA)/Bevan Smith Bloodstock from the draft of Arrowfield Stud at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Cranbourne, Race 5, 2.30pm, AEST, Browns Sawdust & Shavings Mdn P., $37,500, 1400m
Evaporate (NZ), 3-year-old gelding (Per Incanto {USA} x Savanna {NZ} {Animal Kingdom {USA}})
The well-bred Evaporate (NZ) is set to have his fifth start over 1400 metres for Ben, Will and JD Hayes at Cranbourne on Thursday. In his first preparation he managed a placing at Ballarat and ran two solid races without featuring in group company. After having a nice break he resumed with a solid second as favourite on the Ballarat Synthetic track on July 14 over 1100 metres behind Miss Toronado (Toronado {Ire}).
Evaporate is a son of Little Avondale Stud’s proven sire Per Incanto (USA) and is the third foal from the Animal Kingdom (USA) mare Savanna (NZ). She was unraced on the track and is a half-sister to the Per Incanto Group-winning mare Belluci Babe (NZ). This makes Evaporate a three-quarter brother to Belluci Babe.
Evaporate as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Other stakes-winners within this family are Pure Incanto (NZ) (Per Incanto), Sir Lovesalot (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), Men At Work (NZ) (Zabeel {Ire}), Magnum (NZ) (Per Incanto), Sound Lover (NZ) (Sound Reason {Can}) and Nadeem.
Evaporate sold for $330,000 at the 2023 Magic Million Gold Coast Yearling Sale with Lindsay Park Racing being the successful purchaser from the draft of Sledmere Stud.
Savanna has since produced a yearling half-sister by Bivouac and was again served by Per Incanto last spring.
Hawkesbury, Race 1, 12.30pm, AEST, Happy Horses’ Birthday Mdn H., $42,000, 1300m
Beauty Edge, 4-year-old gelding (Hellbent x Saint Minerva (Galileo {Ire})
The well-bred Beauty Edge, is set to make his third start over 1300 metres for Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith at Hawkesbury on Thursday. In preparation he has placed twice and run well in his two career starts so far at Canterbury and Newcastle.
This promising gelding is by Yarraman Park Stud’s progressive stallion in Hellbent, who had an outstanding last season leaving the Group 1 winners Benedetta and Magic Time.
Beauty Edge is the eighth foal from Saint Minerva (Galileo {Ire}). She was a smart mare on the track winning three-times from 1200 metres to 2200 metres including the G3 Grand Prix S.
Beauty Edge as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She has made a mark as a broodmare leaving six foals to race and they have all been winners. Included in this bunch are the sharp sprinter Nettuno (I Am Invincible) who won the G3 Ken Russell Memorial C., and placed in the G3 San Domenico S., and the Listed Falvelon H., and Cheerful Days (Smart Missile) was a seven-time winner and Group placed in Hong Kong. Her other winners are Cormac (All Too Hard), Ducale (I Am Invincible), Mustarrid (Hinchinbrook) and Cosmic Minerva (Deep Field).
Within this pedigree there is a nice mix of pedigree influences. Significant stallions that feature within the page are Invincible Spirit (Ire), Volksraad (GB), Sadler’s Wells (USA), Last Tycoon (Ire), Zamazaan (Fr), Mill Reef (USA) and Miswaki (USA).
Beauty Edge was a $210,000 purchase by Dullingham Party Ltd from the Yarraman Park Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale
Looking Back
Silmarillion (Too Darn Hot {GB}) ran a very good second, a maiden win will not be far away.
November Air (Pierata) was again unfortunately scratched, she will keep for another day
Theblade (Toronado {Ire}) was late scratched, he will keep.
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