Group One winner retired; Filly does family proud at Sandown
Group One winner retired
High-class filly Never Been Kissed has been retired to join Waikato Stud's elite broodmare band.
Bred and raced by the premier Matamata farm, the daughter of resident stallion Tivaci is booked to visit Arrowfield Stud shuttle stallion Maurice later this year.
Never Been Kissed was trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and won her first two starts before handling a steep rise in class at her fourth appearance with aplomb to claim the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m).
She also finished runner-up in both the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) and the Gr.2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m).
Never Been Kissed is out of the Savabeel mare Movie, who won on three occasions and is a three-quarter sister to multiple Group Two winner Ocean Emperor.
It is also the family of glamour Waikato Stud graduate Savvy Coup, who won twice at Group One level in the New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and Livamol Classic (2040m).
Movie's Sacred Falls filly sold to Bjorn Baker Racing and Group 1 Bloodstock at last year's New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale for $600,000 and the mare was served in 2021 by Tivaci after producing an Ocean Park filly.
Filly does family proud at Sandown
A family littered with black-type performers produced another potential future stakes contender on the Hillside course at Sandown on Wednesday where the race day covers came off Proscenium Arch.
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained juvenile daughter of So You Think jumped straight to the front and eased clear in the run home to post a smart debut win by 3-3/4 lengths over 1300m.
"That was great, she has showed us a lot at home and she really let down nicely," Young said.
"There's a 1500m race back here in a fortnight, but we'll see how she does and we're big in giving fillies more time if they need it."
The New Zealand-bred was ridden by Craig Newitt.
"She's a lovely filly and has done everything right so far. She relaxed well and it was more or less checkmate with 600m to run," he said. "She's got gate speed and has really good upside."
Proscenium Arch is out of It's Our Showtime, who is a half-sister to the New Zealand-bred Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1600m) winner Inspirational Girl.
Proscenium Arch is the first foal of It's Our Showtime, who was successful on two occasions and the Showcasing mare we purchased from Australia for A$150,000 by Cambridge Stud with David Redvers and Bruce Perry.
Foaled in New Zealand, Proscenium Arch crossed the Tasman once more where she was purchased as a yearling by Busuttin Racing and Clarke Bloodstock for A$220,000.
It's Our Showtime's second foal, a colt by Almanzor, was secured by Perry out of Cambridge Stud's 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $657,000.
