Senses
EXCITING filly Senses is showing all the right signs to continue a remarkable family tradition.
The three-year-old is a half-sister to the incomparable Leap To Fame and only the fourth foal from broodmare Lettucereason to race.
Leap To Fame is the standout with 68 wins and a record-smashing $6.3 million in earnings, but the champion stayer Swayzee (33 wins and $2.6 million) and Maximus Red (43 wins and $547,057) are the others.
Trainer David Thorn knew the expectation that would come with the Senses when stable client Mitch Leneghan bought in late 2023.
“You know there’s going to be pressure with breeding like that, but the owners have been fantastic and patient,” he said.
“Yes, they’ve bought her to breed from, but they’re pretty keen to race her, too.”
Senses raced just twice at two for wins at Menangle and Penrith in July/August, last year.
“Then we put her straight back out again with a view to having a go at the NSW Oaks,” Thorn said.
“She’d had four starts for three wins and a second going into the heat of the Oaks and although she hadn’t beaten much, we really liked her.”
Senses ran second to star filly Victorian filly in both her heat and the Group 1 final of the Oaks (on May 2).
“She went terrific in the heat, but it was the improvement from the heat to the final which most excited us,” Thorn said.
Senses steps out for her first run since the Oaks final against the boys in the last race at Menangle tomorrow night.
It’s to keep her on target for a three-race Queensland raid in June/July.
“She’ll go to the Redcliffe Oaks (June 20) because it’s a $52,000 race and maybe some of the other big guns won’t go there, then onto the South-East Oaks (July 4) and the Queensland Oaks (July 18),” Thorn said.
“She’ll come back home after that for the NSW Breeders Challenge and then it’s back out to the paddock.
“We’re still looking long term with her. If you think how Leap To Fame and Swayzee have just got better with time, if this filly can do the same she might end up something special.
“We’d like to think she could be a Captains Mistress or an Eye Keep Smiling at four and five if we don’t ask too much of her now and give her time to keep developing.”
Top young driver Will Rixon, who reunited with Senses tomorrow night, is a huge fan.
“Every time they ask a bit more from her, she’s giving it. I think she’s got huge potential,” he said.
Senses will be favourite from gate two tomorrow night.
“Will (Rixon) thinks she’ll have a lot of gate speed when we focus on it and ask her to show it, but it’s not a priority at the moment. Maybe she’ll lead this week from the good draw, but otherwise she’ll be handy and with that speed of hers, she’ll be hard to beat,” Thorn said.
* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
PHOTOS: Club Menangle
