Jockey Rory Hutchings and trainer Joseph Pride will combine with several chances at Newcastle on Thursday, led by three-year-old filly Heaven Bound in the Tabcorp benchmark 64 handicap (2100m).
The last-start maiden winner has been nominated for the group 1 Queensland Oaks and, according to Pride, she is set to go on with the job at Newcastle.
Trainer Joe Pride.Credit: Getty
“She’s a promising filly that is hitting form at the right time,” Pride said of Heaven Bound.
“She ran well in a couple of runs at Newcastle and Hawkesbury when finishing second at her first two runs back from a spell, and then I stepped her up in grade to the Adrian Knox Stakes on a wet track at Randwick, and she ran well enough in that when she ran 10th.
“She relished the drop in grade to score a good win against maiden grade at Newcastle last time out when Rory rode her, and she only needs to run up to that to be very hard to beat again on Thursday.”
Hutchings will also ride first-starter Fox City for Pride in the Wyong Roos Foundation maiden handicap (1350m), as well as the imported Happy Saturday in the Carlton & United Breweries benchmark 64 handicap (1350m).
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“Fox City has had three trials heading into his first start and it looks a nice race for him to be starting out in,” Pride said.
“Happy Saturday is a winner in France, and he had a couple of runs late last year for us and he went well fresh-up at Kembla Grange in October.