Pontiana’s latest product to debut at Flemington this Saturday.
It will not surprise anyone that Illative has come up a warm favourite for the two-year-old race that kicks off Saturday's Flemington card.
The filly has been an eye-catcher at the jumpouts, going back to November last year, but he debut was always going to be anticipated owing to the impression a several members of the family have made on the racetrack.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained youngster is a daughter of I Am Invincible and Pontiana, who has proven herself one of Australia's best producers.
She will be Pontiana's first to race since Illation, a son of So You Think who burst onto the scene winning his first three starts for the same stable.
Illation was Pontiana's sixth foal, the first being Inference, another son of So You Think who won a Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and was placed in a Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Victoria Derby (2500m).
In between those two, Pontiana had Ponterro, who did not race but is the dam of dual Group 1 winner Jacquinot (Rubick), and she also had Dragon Leap, a dual Group 2-winning son of Pierro.
Pontiana is from Liberty Rose, a daughter of Royal Academy whose other products including Grand Jardin (Redoute's Choice), a Listed winner in Perth, and Liberty's Choice (Redoute's Choice), who was twice runner-up at Group 2 level.
There have been a couple of false starts along the way with Illative, but Price is eager to see what she can do on the racetrack.
"She has a good brain on her, but she has been a little fragile in the leg department," Price said.
"I think she's as right as we can have her and, I think, if she hits out she will finish in the money."
Illative will be ridden by Beau Mertens at Flemington with the duo to jump from barrier nine in the field of 11.
After having Illative, Pontiana slipped to Pierro with what would have been a sibling to Dragon Leap and Ponterro, missed to I Am Invincible in 2022 and visited So You Think last year.
