Breeders target for Cashla Bay

[Wandering Eyes]

Promising filly Cashla Bay (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) is headed for a Group Three target early in the new season after recording a comfortable first-up success at Ruakaka on Saturday.

Bred and raced by The Oaks Stud, Cashla Bay debuted in stakes company when finishing fifth in the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) run in early February, won by subsequent Group One winner Return To Conquer.

She continued to improve through her juvenile campaign, defeating the older horses over 1400m in April, but headed for a short spell after finishing outside of the placings in the Listed Waikato Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m).

Resuming on a soft surface in the north, Cashla Bay came out on the front foot under Matt Cartwright and sped up to sit outside the leader in Eliza James. The pair both showed a decent kick at the top of the straight, but Cashla Bay got the upper hand at the 200m, striding clear and holding off the challenge of Soundwave to salute by just under a length.

The daughter of U S Navy Flag is trained by Andrew Forsman, who never doubted her class coming into the Ben and Nola Wortelboer Memorial Race 1100.

“I thought on what she’d done on raceday to date, she would be hard to beat,” he said. “She was a little bit vulnerable fitness-wise, but that was the only question mark.

“As it worked out, the race panned out very well for her, she’s very professional and has a great attitude.

“She’ll take great improvement out of that.”

The Cambridge horseman was on a fact-finding mission on Saturday, deliberating over whether Cashla Bay would head towards the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders Stakes (1200m) or the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1200m) later in the month.

After seeing her performance, the former is looking the likely option.

“She was up for a long time and had a lot of hard racing, but I think that will set her up quite nicely this time around,” he said. “She’s got a little bit stronger physically, but she hasn’t had all that long between campaigns coming back.

“She’s pretty versatile, we took her up to Ruakaka to decide whether we would go to the Breeders up there or head to Wanganui.

“I think on how strongly she won, and being vulnerable fitness-wise, has us leaning towards going back up there in a couple of weeks’ time.”

The filly’s dam, Fastnet Lady, finished fourth in a Wanganui Guineas, and also filled the same placing in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) during her racing career. Cashla Bay was her final foal before passing, having produced multiple Group One performer and $674,000 earner Five To Midnight (NZ) (Domesday). 

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