New Zealand-bred filly Our Red Morning staked her claim for potential black-type assignments in the spring with an effortless victory in Saturday’s A$150,000 Neds Bet Back Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield.
Stepping up in class from a last-start maiden success at Mornington on June 21, the Greg Eurell trained three-year-old daughter of Westbury Stud's Redwood (GB) was sent out as a $4.30 favourite and produced a performance to match.
Brought into clear air out wide on the track by jockey Matthew Cartwright coming up to the home turn, Our Red Morning produced a brilliant turn of foot to burst to the front early in the straight. The race was quickly over as a contest, and despite laying in, Our Red Morning bounded clear to score by three lengths.
“She’s obviously a very nice filly, as you’ve seen today,” Cartwright said. “She’s still quite raw, so has some improvement there. She’s definitely a horse for the spring.
“Our intention was to sit a bit closer today than she did in her last-start maiden win. She jumped well and I squeezed her up. She got a bit keen for 50 to 100m, but once she came back to me, she travelled very nicely three wide with cover.
“I was mindful that the leader would give a good kick, so I didn’t want us to be left with too much to do. Once she straightened up and levelled up, she was pretty explosive.”
Our Red Morning has now had five starts for two wins and a placing, banking A$105,309 in stakes.
She was bred by Craig Dawson’s Stirling Bloodstock, who raced her for her first two starts in New Zealand. Trained by Shaun and Emma Clotworthy and originally named Red In The Morning, she raced twice in January for a third at Matamata and an eighth at Te Rapa.
Our Red Morning has made a big impression since crossing the Tasman, with Dawson retaining an ownership interest in the filly.
“She was a very good find over in New Zealand,” Eurell said. “I was over there for Karaka and bumped into one of our clients, who’s been very good to us over the years. He seems to have sent another good one across.
“I thought it was a soft win today. She came wide and didn’t help herself, laying in a bit, but she still had very good acceleration and finished it off strongly.
“I don’t think going up to 1600m will worry her one bit. We’ll have to have a good, hard look and see what races are available. She may end up having a little breather, then coming back to focus on something in the spring. We’ll let the dust settle from this and see what we can find.”
By in-form Westbury Stud stallion Redwood, Our Red Morning is one of two winners from two foals to race out of the Keeper mare Morena. Herself a two-time winner, Morena is a half-sister to the Singapore Stewards’ Cup (1400m) winner Titanium.
Stirling Bloodstock bought Morena for just $7,500 from the 2015 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka. – NZ Racing Desk
