Saturday city double

02 Mar 2026

A trio of Willow Park winners on Saturday kicked off with exciting three-year-old filly Brave Xena recording her third win from as many starts, stepping up to metropolitan level for Luke Pepper.

 

A winner on debut over the 1100m at Nowra on the 8th of February, Brave Xena (pictured) followed that up with another 1100m win two weeks later at Class 1 level. Six days later she backed up over 1000m in the TAB Highway at Randwick, powering home down the centre of the track to win by just under a length.

 

Saturday's effort collected $66,250 in prizemoney, taking her total earnings over $106,000 in just three weeks.

 

Retained to race due to her small stature, Brave Xena is proving size doesn't matter, having the measure of a big field of 15 at Randwick on Saturday!

 

The filly is by former shuttler Saxon Warrior (JPN) out of the well-related Warrior Woman (Declaration of War), who is a granddaughter of NZ Broodmare Of The Year, Imposingly [NZ].

 

Warrior Woman's yearling colt by Spirit of Boom was sold to Jack Bruce Racing at the Gold Coast in January and she has a weanling filly by Brutal [NZ]. She is now in foal to progressive young sire Cosmic Force.

 

Joining her with a win at metropolitan level later in the day was Magic Millions graduate King Hit (Magna Grecia [IRE] x Sucker Punch), who scored at Ascot for local trainer Trevor Andrews.

 

It was the fourth win for the four-year-old gelding - all at 1400m - and his second at metropolitan level.

 

Offered at the Gold Coast in 2023, King Hit didn't meet his $80,000 reserve, but he is rewarding his ownership group in the West with $125,000 in the bank to date.

 

Our third winner for the day was another who is earning plenty for his owners, the $8,000 bargain buy Shall Be (Shalaa [IRE] x Belle de Jeu [NZ]) taking his earnings over $176,000 with a provincial win at Newcastle.

 

Purchased from our 2023 Inglis HTBA draft by trainer Mark Minervini alongside GB Bloodstock, Shall Be boasts five wins from 14 starts, four of those wins on his home track at Newcastle.