An exciting spring beckons for lightly raced Proisir filly Coeur Volante, who will follow a path towards the Group 1 Thousand Guineas after opening her stakes account in Friday night’s Group III University Food Group Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
Given another pearler by the unstoppable Blake Shinn, Coeur Volante found a narrow seam in the straight to defeat Godolphin’s Zoustar filly Inhibitions by a short-neck, with the Nicconi filly Bossy Nic three-quarter of a length back in third.
Fourth over a 1000m at Sandown-Hillside on May 27, Coeur Volante broke her maiden over 1300m on the same track three weeks later.
“Blake doesn’t do too much wrong, does he?” winning trainer Michael Moroney said. “She was probably aided by a lot of speed on, but she looked like she was going to get a nice run through and then she got held up held up, I thought it was a really good effort.
“We purchased her as a yearling, left her in the New Zealand stable, and we gave her two trials. She had a third and second, but the second trial, I thought this is pretty good. We bought a few of the people out, put new people in from Australia and brought her over.
“It’s a great environment for them when they’re younger without any doubt, so every horse we buy over there, we usually leave there and barrier trial and educate them before we bring them over.
“We brought her back to target the Thousand Guineas, and that’s where we’ll head. We’ve got a little program worked out; we’ll see how we go. I was a bit worried about her coming in tonight; she’d gone off her feed for a little while, so we put her in the paddock for a while in the middle of Winter, and I wondered whether it was the right thing, but she came back and wasn’t eating, but she’s come right in the last week so hopefully it’ll be upwards from here.
“There’s another one coming up, a 1400m over the carnival for fillies, and then the decision I’ve got to make is do I run her in the Prelude the week before and back up or just go straight in with a month between runs.”
A $90,000 purchase for Paul Moroney Bloodstock / Ballymore Stables from the Prima Park draft from Book 1 of the 2022 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, Coeur Volante is a half-sister to stakes-placed Hasstobemagic (Scissor Kick).
They are the only two foals to race for the Testa Rossa mare Shanina, a half-sister to stakes-placed Maid of Ore (Duporth) and a granddaughter of Group II winner and Group 1 VRC Oaks runner-up Rose O’ War (Danehill).
A 5-time winner for Robert Price, Shanina was purchased by Fairdale Stud for $22,000 from the Attunga Stud draft at the 2017 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale.
Shanina’s Time Test filly sold for $12,500 at Karaka this year.
She has a yearling colt by Per Incanto (USA) and was covered by Noverre (NZ) last spring.
Coeur Volante is the 14th stakes-winner for Rich Hill Stud’s reigning champion New Zealand stallion Proisir, which stands for $70,000 in 2023.
