Lord Kanaloa filly impresses at Warwick Farm trials
There were a total of five juvenile trials conducted at Warwick Farm on Tuesday morning and one was taken out by the Ciaron Maher-trained Ocean Proud, an unraced filly by the Shadai Stallion Station-based resident, Lord Kanaloa (King Kamehameha).
Bred by Ozzie Kheir and Asrun Co Ltd, the filly was making her first public appearance on Tuesday and she looked the part in her 812-metre trial, coming home 0.4 lengths ahead of the James Cummings-trained Crepe Myrtle (Exceed And Excel), who was herself a $900,000 purchase for her owners Godolphin from the Torryburn draft at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Ocean Proud was conceived on southern hemisphere time in Japan, before being foaled in the UK, where her dam, Tosen Proud (Tosen Phantom), was covered by Juddmonte Farms’ superstar stallion Frankel (Galileo). The filly was then imported back into Australia in 2022.
Tosen Proud is a once-raced sister to dual Australian Group 1 winner Brave Smash, who stands alongside I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) and his son Hellbent at the Mitchell Family’s Yarraman Park Stud.
Cummings also saddled a two-year-old trial winner on Tuesday when And Found, a daughter of Darley’s first-season sire Microphone (Exceed And Excel), landed her 812-metre heat under Nash Rawiller.
The filly has been unplaced in her two starts to date, most recently when she finished 11th in a handicap over 1100 metres in February. On Tuesday, she produced a smooth performance to beat Annabel Neasham’s unraced Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly Zouphisticate, who was bought by Laurel Oak Bloodstock from Widden Stud for $650,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year.
Microphone was not the only first-season sire to be represented by a winner, with a colt by the Arrowfield Stud-based Castelvecchio (Dundeel) also landing his 812-metre trial.
Named Il Passero and under the tutelage of Richard Litt, who also trained Castelvecchio, the colt sports the Galletta Construction Co Pty Ltd colours, which the son of Dundeel (High Chaparral) carried to victory on four occasions including in the 2019 Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and the Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) the following year.
Winning his second second successive Warwick Farm barrier trial, Il Passero defeated Godolphin homebred Tarpaulin (Harry Angel) by 1.2 lengths, with Houdini Spirit (Harry Angel) finishing third.
A $350,000 purchase by Galletta Construction Co Pty Ltd from his breeders Arrowfield Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year, Il Passero is out of the unraced Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) mare Ballet Blanc, who is herself a sister to Group 2-placed Tchaikovsky, while she is also a three-quarter sister to stakes-placed filly Smirnova (Snitzel).
Also winning a second successive trial on Tuesday was the Amanda Turner-prepared Rosa Cara, a filly by Newgate Farm’s Russian Revolution (Snitzel).
Looking comfortable throughout the 812-metre contest, the filly defeated Godolphin-raced Amusing, a colt by northern hemisphere-based Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Masar (New Approach), who was conceived on southern hemisphere time at Darley’s Dalham Hall and was imported back into Australia in utero.
Rosa Cara was bought by Kiltannon Stables from the Ardsley Stud Limited consignment for NZ$100,000 at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale in 2023, before selling to her trainer for NZ$150,000 at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale later that same year.
The filly is a daughter of three-time winner Blanco Cara (Cape Blanco), a half-sister to Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Tavago (Tavistock) and stakes-placed trio Sanstoc (Tavistock), Sweet Anna (Tavistock) and Kosgei (The Autumn Sun).
Widden Stud stallion Written By (Written Tycoon) was also provided with a juvenile barrier trial winner on Tuesday in the shape of the unraced colt Stormfield.
Trained by Gary Portelli, the youngster beat Godolphin gelding Blue Illusion (Blue Point) by 0.4 lengths in his 815-metre heat.
Purchased by Laurel Oak Bloodstock from the Widden Stud draft for $70,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the colt is out of five-time winner Heartford (Stratum), a half-sister to Listed winner Pressing (Sebring).