3 minute read
Spring campaign back on track for Sierra Sue; First Group winner for Time Test
Spring campaign back on track for Sierra Sue
New Zealand-bred mare Sierra Sue will be vying for back-to-back Group Two victories when she contests the Feehan Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on Saturday.
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained five-year-old was set to contest the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) last weekend, however, a foot abscess ruled her out of the race.
She has fully recuperated and her trainers are looking forward to getting her spring preparation back on track this weekend.
"She is back on track and is 100 percent," Busuttin told SENTrack.
"It was bad timing, but luckily it (foot abscess) has burst and has come right. You never know, it may be a blessing in disguise, it looks a nice race for her on paper.
"That horse of Danny O'Brien's (Sovereign Award) is a hard going horse, so that will take it along at a fairly genuine tempo I would suggest. We will sit right up there but I am hoping we don't have to drag the field up.
"It's basically a field full of stayers resuming and some of them will be attacking the line late.
"We are pretty confident our mare can measure up if she runs up to her last start."
A trial winner in New Zealand for trainer Peter Lock, Sierra Sue was purchased privately by a prominent group of Australian owners, headed by developer, hotelier and horseracing identity Aziz "Ozzie" Kheir through bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo.
She has subsequently won seven of her 16 starts, including the Gr.2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last month, and the Gr.2 Rose of Kingston Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last October.
First Group winner for Time Test
Little Avondale Stud shuttle stallion Time Test recorded his first Group victory as a sire on Wednesday when Rocchigiani won the Gr.3 Renate und Albrecht Woeste Zukunftsrennen (1400m) at Baden Baden.
The Peter Schiergen-trained colt defeated Arnis Master by a length and a half, with Calif a further two lengths in arrears in third.
With the victory, Rocchigiani became Time Test's second stakes winner after Tardis won the Listed St Hugh's Stakes (1050m) at Newbury last month.
Time Test boasts two further Group performers in The King's Horses, who was third in the Gr.3 Premio Primi Passi (1200m) at Milan, and Sunset Shiraz, who was runner-up in the Gr.2 Debutante Stakes (1400m) at the Curragh.
Time Test, who served a full book of 135 mares in 2020, has once again garnered plenty of support from breeders this year with Little Avondale Stud announcing earlier this week that his book is once again full for the current breeding season.
