Well-related filly takes flight
Jess de Lautour • June 29th, 2025 4:09 PM
David Greene has enjoyed a multitude of success with the progeny of Songbird, and that continued at Ruakaka on Saturday with Free Bird breaking maiden status in the Ruakaka Your Best Bet In Winter (1200m).
A half-sister to Greene’s first Group winner Stolen Dance, Free Bird showed promise at the trials, before placing in her first start in early January. She followed up that effort with a sixth placing, and was subsequently sent for a break before returning in the far north.
In a market largely dominated by Top Dollar, Free Bird jumped at $14.80 under Vinnie Colgan, who pressed forward from the gate and eventually settled off the fence in sixth.
With blinkers on for the first time, Hard Attack was full of running and led the field up to the home corner, where he found a decent kick and gave his rivals plenty to chase. It looked like Hard Attack may hold on, but coming charging down the centre was Free Bird, who had the upper hand on another late closer in Kudos to take the opener by a head.
The daughter of Tarzino was coming out of a fourth-placed trial effort behind Chicago Dream, who had his turn in the winner’s circle in the following race.
“She trialled okay at Auckland, but David Greene talked her up a bit and was quietly confident I think,” Colgan said.
“The race worked out quite well for me, I ended up six-back and one-off, and able to improve early. It was a fairly long run up the straight and she was pretty green, there’s lots of improvement to come from the outing today.”
Greene had thought the six-furlong journey would prove too sharp for his charge, but was rapt to be proven wrong.
“I thought 1200m would be too short for her today, but 10 out of 10 on the ride there from Vinnie,” he said. “There was genuine speed on there and she finished off like a tough horse, like we know all of the horse’s out of the mare are.
“She’s a hard one to have all her own conditions, she doesn’t want the track too hard or too wet, so it was a nice in-between track here today.”
Bred by Dane and Jenna McLeod, Free Bird is out of an unraced Black Minnaloushe mare Songbird, of whom produced the Group One-winning Stolen Dance as her first foal. Of her remaining five foals to race, four have been winners, including Finest Wine, who finished fourth in a Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) in Greene’s care.
The McLeod’s race the filly in an ownership group that includes a number of their family members, including successful owner Gerald Shand. - LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
