Exciting Thooza debuts in style

Well-related juvenile Thooza will be rewarded with a break following her impressive victory at the first time of asking at Te Rapa.Our daughter of Almanzor made the perfect start to her career with a tenacious win over 1200 metres in the hands of Warren Kennedy.“She’s done a great job so she can have a nice spell now and we’ll be looking at some nice fillies’ races in the spring with her,” trainer Tony Pike said.A trial winner at Pukekohe earlier this month, Thooza was caught three wide before she crossed the field make the running from a wide barrier.“It was the intention to lead, she had been good out of the gates at the trials and it was a good, tough win. She’s a filly that will also be better with a bit more time,” Pike said.Thooza was headed 300 metres from home, but showed her courage by rallying strongly to claim the thick end of the stake.“It always helps when they have got gate speed and I was able to dictate the pace,” Kennedy said.“I held her together and the favourite (Sister Cynane) went passed me 300 out, but she picked herself up well.”We purchased Thooza from breeder The Oaks Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $155,000.She is out of the Darci Brahma mare Sea Goddess, who won on three occasions, and she is a daughter of the seven-time Group 1 winner Seachange.It is also the family of the G1 Levin Classic winner Keepa Cruisin and this season’s Australian Group 2 winners Antrim Coast, also runner-up in the G1 New Zealand Derby, and precocious two-year-old Storm Boy.