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 hit the track across New Zealand and Australia on Saturday. These include a Savabeel filly chasing maiden success at Te Rapa, a Capitalist 2-year-old filly is running at Doomben and a Written Tycoon 2-year-old from the family of Redoute's Choice makes his debut at Rosehill.
Te Rapa, Race 7, 1.57pm AEDT (3.57pm local), Fresh Choice Flemington 3YO Mdn, $25,000, 1600m
Smart Love (NZ), 3-year-old filly (Savabeel x Relentless Desire {NZ} {O’Reilly {NZ}})
The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Smart Love (NZ) will make her third start over 1600 metres at Te Rapa on Saturday on the back of a very nice debut run for second at Taupo on September 20 over 1300 metres when being nosed out by the very promising Sexy And I Moet (Pierro). This form looks outstanding as Sexy And I Moet bolted in a 3-year-old event at Tauranga at her next start when defeating the talented stakes-winner Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and then ran a solid fourth in the G3 Soliloquy S. at Ellerslie. At her second start she was only narrowly beaten by Big Wave (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) on October 11 also again over 1300 metres.
Smart Love is the third foal from the O’Reilly (NZ) mare Relentless Desire (NZ), who only raced once on the track. She has so far left one winner in Incessant-Bucephalas (HK) (NZ) (Savabeel) who was placed at city level in Sydney and was successful at the Sunshine Coast before being exported to Hong Kong.
Relentless Desire is very well-related being a half-sister to the 9-time winner Metal Bender (NZ) (Keeper), he was successful in the G1 Randwick Guineas, G1 George Ryder S. G1 Doomben Cup and the G1 Rosehill Guineas. Another half-sister is the stakes-placed Southern Venture (NZ) (Zabeel) who also as a producer went on to leave 10 individual winners.
Savabeel | Standing at Waikato Stud
This family has so much depth to it and it includes the G1 New Zealand Oaks winner in Amarelinha (NZ) (Savabeel), the Group-winning stallions North Pacific and Sweet Ride and the classy Missybeel (NZ) (Savabeel),
The Savabeel/O’Reilly cross has had outstanding success with 172 individual winners at a 75 per cent winners to runners ratio and an impressive 33 stakes winners, nin individual Group 1 winners and a 14 per cent stakes winners to runners ratio. The headline acts with this cross include the Group 1 winners Orchestral (NZ), Embellish (NZ), Costume (NZ), Diademe (NZ), Savaria (NZ), Mo’unga (NZ), Major Beel (NZ), The Perfect Pink (NZ) and Amarelinha.
Relentless Desire since producing Smart Love unfortunately missed to Savabeel two seasons in a row but was due to foal to his son, Noverre (NZ) in August of this year.
Doomben, Race 1, 1.07pm AEDT (12.07pm local), Officiating At Aquis QTIS 2YO H., $85,000, 1110m
Canoodling, 2-year-old filly (Capitalist x Dream Kisses {Dream Ahead {USA}})
The sharply bred Canoodling is set to make her second start at Doomben over 1110 metres on Saturday for trainer Tony Gollan. On debut she ran a very good second on the same track on October 26 when she was only run down late by the promising Betterlucknexttime (Zousain) over 1050 metres.
Canoodling is bred to be quick and early, she is by the noted speed stallion in Capitalist and is out of the Dream Ahead (USA) mare Dream Kisses. She was a 3-time winning sprinter, including twice as a juvenile. She also managed to place in the Listed Mode S and the Listed Calaway Gal S. As a broodmare she has already left the 2-year-old winner Desperately (Rubick).
Canoodling as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Other smart performers within the family are the stakes-winners Kiss Me Katy (Mull Of Kintyre {USA}), Bianca Jewel (Lion Heart {USA}) and My Middi (Belong To Me {USA}).
Dream Kisses since producing Canoodling has left a Stay Inside yearling colt and most recently foaled a Russian Revolution filly in September this spring.
Rosehill, Race 6, 3.30pm AEDT, Inglis Golden Gift, $1,000,000, 1100m
Chicama, 2-year-old colt (Written Tycoon x The Broken Shore {Hussonet {USA}})
The beautifully bred Chicama is set to make his debut over 1100 metres in the Inglis Golden Gift at Rosehill for in-form trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott on the back of a promising trial at Randwick on October 8 over 740 metres when third behind race rivals Comedy (Snitzel) and then a lovely trial win at Hawkesbury on October 28 over 800 metres behind Outcast Ally (Pariah).
Chicama is the seventh live foal from the Hussonet (USA) mare The Broken Shore. She was a metropolitan winner at 1100 metres on the track but has left a considerable mark as a broodmare leaving the three-time Group 1 winner Shoals (Fastnet Rock), the Listed winning gelding Groundswell (Fastnet Rock) and the winners Fjord (Fastnet Rock), Tides (Fastnet Rock) and Rapids (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}).
Chicama as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Chicama’s second dam is the great mare Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) she will forever have a lasting influence on the breed in Australasia as she left the Champion sire Redoute’s Choice, the Group 1 winners and sires Manhattan Rain and Platinum Scissors, the Listed winner and sire Echoes Of Heaven and the talented stakes-winner and stakes-producer in Sliding Cube (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).
The Broken Shore since producing Chicama has left a Maurice (Jpn) yearling colt and was then exported to Great Britain in January this year.
China Horse Club, Newgate, Go Bloodstock and Trilogy was the purchaser for $1,350,000 from the draft of Arrowfield Stud at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Looking Back
Rockin’ At Midnite (Extreme Choice) was very good running second, she only got run down late and a win does not look far away.
Taken (NZ) (Ardrossan) ran an honest second, the winner was dominant but he stuck to his task well.
Thurmond (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) ran a solid third at his first start in Australia. It was a good effort and going by his debut in Ireland he will get over more ground and be hard to beat in any staying maiden races.
