A Group One challenge awaits Red Sea (NZ) (Pierata) next month following the youngster’s runaway success in the AKW Farrier Two-Year-Old (1200m) at Matamata on Wednesday.
Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay, the Andrew Forsman-trained son of Pierata was sent out a short-priced favourite and justified his support with an effortless 3-1/4 length victory.
“In a perfect world, we would have wanted a couple to follow, but Warren realised there wasn’t going to be a heap of early pressure, so he took up the running,” Forsman said.
“He’s a good galloper and hopefully he will improve off that, he will need to because he’ll be going up to another level.”
Red Sea had finished runner-up in his summer debut behind subsequent Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) winner Velocious (Written Tycoon) and was then fifth in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) after a tardy start and a wide run without cover.
He was subsequently freshened and returned last month to run fourth in the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m).
“He put it all together nicely today and was spot on. He needed that first-up run, he was a bit underdone, and the blinkers have helped as well,” Forsman said.
Red Sea’s success has confirmed plans for a crack at the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham next month, which is the first bonus race for next year’s inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), for which Cambridge Stud secured a slot in last month.
“We’ll head that way and Cambridge Stud will want to, it’s a NZB Kiwi bonus race and they have got a slot,” Forsman said. “It’s the logical play to have a crack so we’ll see how we go.”
