Listed race on radar for 2YO Panna Cotta

Trainer Mark Newnham has a late-season stakes race in his sights for filly Panna Cotta after the juvenile resumed from a spell with a maiden win at Randwick.

Panna Cotta stepped out for her second career start in Wednesday’s Hyland Race Colours Plate (1100m) for two-year-old fillies on Randwick’s Kensington track and settled just behind the lead from a wide draw before making her winning run in the straight.

Ridden by Josh Parr, Panna Cotta ($5) beat the Chris Waller-trained Kiku, who closed strongly along the rail late, by a long head.

Panna Cotta, a daughter of Fastnet Rock out of Custard, was fourth in the Max Lees Classic (900m) at Newcastle on debut in November and Newnham says next month’s Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) for two-year-old fillies, usually held at Scone but this year at Rosehill, is the likely next step.

“She’ll have a crack at that now and try to get a bit of black type on her page,” Newnham told Sky Thoroughbred Central.

“She’s a nice filly and I think she’ll train on well.

“She’s shown good ability from day one.

“Last time in she just had the one run and needed to mature a little bit.

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“She came here today off two really good trials and Josh gave her a 10 out of 10 ride.”

The Bjorn Baker-trained two-year-old Ocean Emperor ($2.10) was well-supported to make a winning debut in the Sky Racing Active Plate (1100m) and the colt held the lead and got the job done by a neck under Jason Collett in a performance Baker thought was much better than the margin suggested.

“I thought it was an excellent effort,” Baker said.

“He’s a nice horse. He’s a little bit green.

“He only had the one trial going into it and he got taken on mid-race and had to work at both ends, so I thought it was a much better win than the margin suggests.”

Baker believes Ocean Emperor is a promising colt who will only get better.

Baker and Parr both brought up winning doubles at the meeting when Canasta won the Vale Might And Power Handicap (1550m).

Baker’s wins took him to 100 winners for the season Australia-wide.