The Cambridge trainer will saddle his daughter Global Thinking in Saturday's Listed Murdoch Newell Stakes (1100m) as the only race winner in the two-year-old feature.
That came at the filly's only start at Ruakaka back in September and Ritchie has sourced further confidence from So You Think filly La Diosa's Gr.1 NZ 1000 Guineas win at Riccarton last weekend.
"She's a little professional, this filly. She's drawn great in barrier
three and she's by the sire of the moment in So You Think," he said."She's a lot like So You Think too. She's a miniature version - a stunning filly."
Global Thinking, bred by La Diosa's part-owner Gordon Calder, went into her Ruakaka debut without a trial, but Ritchie has since sent her to the trials - for a second placing at Cambridge last week.
"I didn't trial her before racing her which isn't generally what we do, but sometimes it works and on this occasion it did, mainly because she's so precocious and highly professional," he said.
"She only ran second at the trials last week, but I wouldn't read too much into her being beaten because she had a really soft trial.
"She was a little slowly away at Ruakaka - it took her a few metres to muster some speed - so the trial was more to teach her to jump away and then let her relax in running - and it's done that. She'll be able to utilise her good barrier on Saturday."
Having won a $20,000 race at Ruakaka, Global Thinking is all but assured of a start in January's $1 million Karaka Million at Ellerslie and that has allowed Ritchie to pick and choose her starts before then.
"She's pretty much qualified for the Karaka Million so the next step is getting black type for her. This race fits nicely but we'll race her sparingly before the Karaka Million," he said.
Ritchie will shoot for a Pukekohe feature race double on Saturday, with last-start Te Rapa winner Snow Secret a leading lightweight contender for the Gr.3 Ssangyong Counties Cup (2100m).
"This is her test, her first time in this sort of company but the tip is Leith Innes getting down to 53 kilos to ride her," Ritchie said.
"She's racing now better than she has in other preparations and that's because she's stronger. She's out of a Zabeel mare and that's really starting to kick in now. She looks and races like a real Zabeel.
"One thing though, she can't be bustled early so she has to be ridden back and hope it's truly run. But if that's the case, then she's a genuine lightweight chance." - NZ Racing Desk.
