As a half-sister to Hanseatic, Austmarr carried the weight of expectations when sent off an odds-on favourite in a strong 1000m maiden at Cranbourne on Sunday.
Ridden by Jordan Childs for Anthony and Sam Freedman, the strapping daughter of Exosphere went straight to the front and never looked back to defeat the promising Zoustar gelding Alsonso by a length and a quarter with the same distance back to the Savabeel gelding Raetihi a fast-finishing third.
Runner-up twice on the Hillside track at Sandown at her two juvenile starts, the sweet moving filly carries the colours of her breeder, Godolphin.
Stable representative Brad Taylor said the Exosphere filly is held in high regard.
“She won that off one trial, it looked to be a nice race to kick off her campaign,” Taylor said.
“She may have peaked on her run and had a good look at the winning post, but there is plenty of improvement to come, and she is a filly with a bright future.
“ It was a good ride by Jordi. He does a lot of work for the stable, so it was nice to reward him.
“We get a handful from Godolphin every year, and there are six two-year-olds in the stable now, a couple of which might be in the early two-year-old races.”
A half-sister to Rosemont Stud’s popular Hanseatic (Street Boss) and stakes-placed Frost Flowers (Frosted), Austmarr is the fifth winner from as many to race from the Exceed and Excel mare Itameri.
Austmarr is the final foal of Itameri, a granddaughter of the superb matron Scandinavia the dam of Magnus, Wilander, Scandiva and Arctic Flight, and granddam of Black Caviar and All Too Hard.
Exosphere stands at Oaklands Stud in 2023 at a value fee of $6,600.
