By Glenn Davis
Exciting filly Pennino added another string to trainer Darryl Hansen’s winter carnival bow with a slick win at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Ridden by apprentice Tiffany Brooker, Pennino jumped straight to the front and never looked in danger of defeat in the Coastline BMW 3 Series Two-Year-Old QTIS Plate.
The filly easily accounted for a strong field and scorched home over the 1200-metre trip to down the fast finishing Sizzling Ace by one length.
Hopes Eternal, who with Sizzling Ace near the tail of the field in the early stages, fought on well for third, a further 2-1/2 lengths away.
Brooker had a beaming smile on her face 250 metres out as she made regular peeps over her shoulder to watch her struggling rivals.
Hansen has an embarrassment of riches being aimed at the Brisbane winter carnival including Monsieur Gustave and Bat A Kat who are both spelling.
Monsieur Gustave, winner of the Group 3 George Moore Stakes at Doomben last month, is being aimed at the Group 1 sprint double, the Doomben 10,000 and Stradbroke Handicap while Bat A Kat is headed towards the Group 2 Queensland Guineas.
Pennino is now set to join them on the winter carnival path and is likely to be directed towards the Group 2 Sires Produce Stakes and possibly the Group 1 J J Atkins at Doomben.
Hansen is reserving his judgement at the moment on whether Pennino will handle 1600 metres of the J J Atkins even though she is a full sister to stablemate Balboa Rocks who is proven over the trip.
“If she can win like that in this field she’ll definitely be aimed at the winter now,” Hansen said.
“The way she races she just breaks their hearts the way she gets out and goes.
“I won’t change the way she’s racing at the moment but she can come from behind like she did at her first start when she was unlucky.
“The way she likes to get out and go at the moment I’m not sure she’s quite ready for 1600 metres in the winter but time will tell.
“She’ll spell now and grow a little more and hopefully come back an even better filly.”
Racing Queensland webnews January 27