Gun mare powers to Devonport win
FORMER Sydney-based mare Mascherata scored an impressive win in a class one handicap over 1350m in Devonport last Friday to suggest she could eventually make her way to some of the state’s better races for fillies and mares.
Mascherata ($2.50) was having her fourth start for trainer Aiden Nunn, of which the first was in Queensland where the trainer was located when he purchased the daughter of Tivaci from an online bloodstock site.
Mascherata was unlucky not to win at her first two starts in Tasmania but courtesy of a gun ride from Brendon McCoull she was able to
easily tick off her class one win.
She scored by two lengths from race leader Fanciful Flying and Madetobebroken.
She trailed the leaders and had spent very little in transit, so when McCoull eased her off heels to challenge she quickly put her opposition away.
“I gave this mare one start in Queensland (Doomben) before we came back to Tassie and I gave her a break because she had been in work a while with Sydney trainer John O’Shea,” Nunn said.
“I liked her breeding, and her form was quite good plus I thought she would be an ideal horse to Tassie.”
Nunn is hoping to get the mare to the Group 3 Vamos
Stakes in Launceston at the end of February. “In the big picture I would hope she is good enough to get to the Vamos Stakes in February, but if not this season, next.” WELL-BRED three-year-old filly Snowbird impressed with a maiden win in Launceston two weeks ago and at Elwick on Wednesday she has the chance to do what only a very small percentage of horses can do – win a class one immediately after winning a maiden.
Snowbird finished an average of seven lengths from the winner at her first three starts, but last time out she delivered the goods by producing a powerful finishing burst to grab victory in the last few bounds.
The filly is by Needs Further from former smart sprinter Hushama that was owned by the trainer and her sister Many Gunn and this filly was bred by Gunn at Motree Thoroughbreds.
The filly, owned by Brakey and her husband Craig, is unlikely to be aimed at the Thousand Guineas over 1600m next month but that will depend on whether she can be tried and win over 1400m leading up to the fillies’ guineas to be run at Elwick on January 22.
Snowbird finds herself in a race that is littered with sprinters that have been trying to win a class one for a while, with her main dangers likely to come from Dominator’s Girl, Chosen Eagle,
Banca Tom and Nico the Greek.
THE feature race on the nineevent card on Wednesday is the benchmark 72 handicap over 1400m (race six) in which the Gary Whitetrained Johnny Chutzpah is likely to start favourite.
Johnny Chutzpah (Bulent Muhcu) has won two of his three starts this preparation, the latest in a benchmark 68 over 1200m at Elwick 10 days ago.
His start prior he was a luckless third behind Peace Be Upon Him and Dunbrody Power with the latter winning the $50,000 Winzenberg Trophy last week to frank the form of Johnny Chutzpah.