Nothing subUrban about Charge Forward filly
Setbacks in racing aren’t always followed by success, but it happens often enough to give the phrase “blessing in disguise” a regular airing around owners faced with funding and waiting out a horse’s recuperation from injury.
The patience of Nick Vass, David & Luke Henderson and their fellow owners was rewarded today when their gorgeous Arrowfield-bred 3YO filly Urban Groove trounced the $100,000 ATC Reginald Allen H. 1200m LR field at Rosehill, becoming the 7th individual stakeswinner for her sire Charge Forward .
Pictured: Arrowfield-bred Urban Groove earns black capitals at only her second start, in the ATC Reginald Allen H. LR at Rosehill today. (PHOTO: Sportpix)
She is also the the 33rd stakeswinner from a Flying Spur mare, in this case the city-winning Morton, a daughter of champion filly Heat of the Moment; and the third stakeswinner from 17 runners bred on the Charge Forward/Flying Spur cross.
Urban Groove was a $240,000 Gai Waterhouse purchase from the Arrowfield draft at the 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale and showed enough in her trackwork and a November trial win to be an early favourite for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, until she was sidelined by a pelvic fracture. (The Vass-Henderson team still had a Magic Millions runner, the Redoute’s Choice filly No Looking Back who was first past the post but subsequently relegated to second.)
Urban Groove finally made her debut two weeks ago at Kembla Grange where she bolted in by 5 lengths and has stepped up immediately to black type company in the manner of a seriously classy filly. Sent out favourite, she had to mount a determined chase after a resolute Brave Soul, but Tommy Berry’s call for acceleration was met instantly and Urban Groove’s half-length winning margin was decisive. Next Saturday’s Flight S. G1 is now a possibility the stable will consider for her in consultation with her owners.
Charge Forward was launched in 2005 as an ideal outcross for mares by Northern Dancer-line stallions, in particular the Danzig tribe. His success has matched that expectation, and almost two-thirds of his stakes performers are by sons or grandsons of Danzig.
Urban Groove’s dam Morton has a yearling colt by All American (like Charge Forward, a son of Red Ransom) and is foaling again to him this spring before returning to Charge Forward.
