We tend to focus on the juvenile trials, but at this time of year there is a lot going on and three other trials at Warwick Farm on Monday were super interesting for different reasons highlighting a comeback horse, a horse with a name change and a horse that might strike fear into the hearts of Fangirl and Mr Brightside.
Firstly, The Novelist - He’s now a three year-old and is also a half-brother to this year’s Inglis Millennium winner Fully Lit, but back in December 2022 the son of Written By put up two impressive wins at his only starts and was one of the favorites for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic before an injury sent him to the sidelines.
He had one trial last spring and then went back to the paddock, but looked sharp and full of running today with an eye-catching win.
The two horses The Novelist beat when he won the Group III BRC BJ McLachlan Stakes in 2022 remain maidens so there is a big question mark over that form, but you’d have to be encouraged by what he did today.
Secondly, Porta Romana- She’s the $1.1million I Am Invincible filly that was a Breednet One to Watch when she won on debut at last year at Newcastle under the name of Sounds of Heaven, read about her here. This filly can be a hot headed madam and has had a few lessons in restraint of late and was having her third trial this prep today, so was allowed to let rip at the finish closing off her last 600m in 33.01 leaving G1 winner Mazu in her wake.
Sounds of Heaven (now Porta Romana) has had a name change due to the arrival in Australia of her Northern Hemisphere bred namesake Sounds of Heaven (GB), who was also bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and sold as a yearling at the 2021 Tattersalls October for 650,000 guineas with John Camilleri remaining in the ownership along with Craig Bernick (Glen Hill Farm).
Trained by Jessica Harrington in the UK, the Kingman filly won a Listed race at York last year and was third in the Group I Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot before two unplaced runs in Group I races in France and the USA. Sounds of Heaven is a half-sister to stakes-placed Voice of Angels and is the second foal from blue-blood Galileo mare Ring the Bell, a sibling to Group I winners The United States, Hermosa, Hydrangea and Fire Lily from Group II winning blue hen Beauty is Truth.
She’s now with Joe Pride and had a nice cruise around in this heat for sixth. Given her pedigree and race performance, Sounds of Heaven is an attractive proposition for the future with her best distance on past efforts around a mile.
Thirdly, Think About It- He didn’t win his heat, but gee he looked awesome with that ominous surge into third behind Butch Cassidy and with two trials under his belt looks ready to rumble in the Group I ATC Canterbury Stakes (1300m)on March 9.
It’s been well documented that Joe Pride is going to attempt to stretch this horse out in distance this prep with a view to getting to a mile and possibly beyond which is interesting given the trend to take horses the other way in light of the riches on offer in The Everest. His stablemate Private Eye is the case in point having been a Group I miler, before reverting to sprinting at which he has become very successful.
We’ll know a lot more about the distance range of Think About It by the end of autumn… will he be a Cox Plate horse like his father So You Think in the spring or defending his Everest crown?
