The powerful Australian ownership group that features Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela has made a strong start to the new season, celebrating an early victory with promising three-year-old Northern Beaches (Not A Single Doubt) in Wednesday’s A$55,000 Ranvet Handicap (1200m) at Canterbury.

Trained and ridden by the expat New Zealand combination of Chris Waller and James McDonald, the talented colt sat just in behind the speed before diving through a narrow gap early in the home straight. With a smart turn of foot, Northern Beaches kicked clear to score by two and a quarter lengths.

“He’s a professional colt,” McDonald said. “He takes everything in his stride, and he couldn’t have gone through that gap if he was a first-starter, but he’s had plenty of experience. He won with authority and a bit in hand, so a nice horse going forward.

“I still reckon he’s probably even a decent prep away. Like, he’s a big baby still. He’s got a bit of developing to do, but he’s got a bright future.”

Sir Peter Vela shares ownership of Northern Beaches with Coolmore, Wynaus, Westerberg, Joe Poulin, Chris Waller Racing, Lynque, Woppitt Bloodstock, Peachester Lodge, Rockingham Thoroughbreds, Kerry and Jenny Pooley, Robert McClure and Woodpark Stud.

Northern Beaches has now had five starts for a win, a second and two thirds, earning A$88,550 in prizemoney.

“He’s always shown us plenty of ability,” Waller’s racing manager Charlie Duckworth said. “I think we were forced to run him early just because he was showing so much at home, but ultimately he wasn’t physically mature enough as a two-year-old.

“Now he’s matured and he’s going to be a lovely three-year-old for us. He’s a cracking colt. He did it all really well. He just needed a little bit of luck at the turn, and luckily he got that.

“This was about trying to get the win on the board today, and then he’ll be back into the feature races coming into the spring carnival. It was an exciting win to get on the board today, the monkey’s off his back, and hopefully he can go on with it now.”

Northern Beaches is by the exceptional former Arrowfield Stud stallion Not A Single Doubt, who has been represented by almost 800 winners – 79 of them at stakes level, including 16 Group One winners – and is now continuing his influence through exciting young sire sons such as Extreme Choice and Farnan.

The dam of Northern Beaches is the American-bred mare Aloona (Smart Strike), who was a winner in France and is the dam of three other winners including Group Two Todman Stakes (1200m) winner Aylmerton (Siyouni) and the Group Three-placed Arnaqueur (Astern).

Aloona herself comes from a world-class family. Her half-sister Galatee (Galileo) won at Group Three level and is the dam of three stakes winners, while her dam Altana (Mountain Cat) is a half-sister to multiple Group One winner Arcangues (Sagace) and closely related to countless other elite performers.

The pedigree page also features Aidan O’Brien’s current star colt Luxembourg (Camelot), who won the Group One Doncaster Futurity Trophy (1600m) last year and whose only defeat to date was a strong-finishing third in the English 2000 Guineas (1600m).