Spirit breaks the ice

WELL- BRED filly Northern Spirit will be aimed at feature three- year- old events later this season following her impressive win in a maiden over 1420 metres in Launceston on Wednesday night.

Northern Spirit, prepared at Brighton by Siggy Carr, tracked the leaders to the home turn and when rider Troy Baker aimed her threewide to challenge, she powered home and chased down the leader over the concluding stages to win comfortably.

“That was what we were hoping she would do tonight over more suitable ground,” Carr said.

“The horse came to us from Lloyd Kennewell in Melbourne and he said he wasn’t sure whether she was any good, but she obviously just needed ground.”

Northern Spirit ( Needs Further- Sh’bourne Spirit) earned for her owners a $ 16,000 Tasbred bonus to give them a $ 27,560 collect for winning.

“We will head this filly towards the Thousand Guineas ( 1600m) because I’m convinced that she will handle the step up in distance.”

It was Northern Spirit’s second start so with more rac

ing she might

Oaks prospect.

THE Adam Trinder- trained Our Shinkansen delivered another outstanding performance to score a narrow but game win in a class one handicap over 1220m.

Our Shinkansen won a maiden two starts back over 1200m and Trinder stepped even be an

her up to a 1400m class one in which she ran well but found unsuitable ground and may have been underdone for the extra 200m.

But back to the 1220m trip she was right at home and courtesy of a gun ride from Brendon McCoull the daughter of Bullet Train made it two wins from only four starts.

“I was in two minds about running her last start over 1400m, but it was that or risk going to Hobart,” Trinder said. “She took no harm from the last outing and tonight she stripped fitter and she was given a superb ride by Brendon ( McCoull) who just sat off the speed and gave her the last crack at them.”

Runner- up War Correspondent led and fought on tenaciously, so he will go to next week’s $ 100,000 Listed 3YO Cup over 1200m.

War Correspondent’s trainer, Glenn Stevenson, was happy with his horse’s effort.

“My horse needed this run, and he will strip a lot fitter in the 3YO Cup,” he said.