Well-bred filly Free Bird provided trainer David Greene with a pleasant surprise at Ruakaka on Saturday.
The daughter of Westbury Stud’s Group 1 producer Tarzino was making her first appearance since a light summer preparation and was able to break her maiden under the urgings of Vinnie Colgan.
“I thought the 1200 metres would have been a bit short, but it was a 10 out of 10 ride by Vinnie and she finished off well,” Greene said.
“The track suited her, she doesn’t like it too hard or too wet, and she is quite a tough horse.”
Placed once from her two previous outings, Freebird settled midfield off the fence before picking up ground across the top and the three-year-old lengthened stride impressively in the run to the post.
“Everything went well for me, and I was able to improve early and she finished it off,” Colgan said.
“She’s still a bit green and there’s lots of improvement to come.”
Greene knows Freebird’s family intimately, having prepared half-sister Stolen Dance to win nine races including the G2 Cal Isuzu Stakes and G3 Eagle Technology Stakes and multiple Group 1 placings.
The Alamosa mare subsequently claimed the G1 Thorndon Mile from the stable of the now retired Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.
Their dam is the unraced Black Minnaloushe mare Songbird whose half-brother The Fuzz won the G2 Blamey Stakes and G3 Geelong Cup.
The pedigree also features the Group 2 winners Kainui Belle and Megabucks.