BEL ESPRIT IS SERIOUSLY GOOD

Guineas for Morgan?

BEL ESPRIT’s stellar racing career – which included Group One victories in the Blue Diamond and Doomben 10,000 – will ensure he is remembered as one of the finest sprinters of the past decade.
However, one of his best performances was over a ‘mile’ in the Caulfield Guineas where he ran into more trouble than Flash Gordon, yet still ran a mighty second behind Helenus.
Never mind … it appears that his flashy 3YO from the Bellotto mare, Bellain, has a seriously good chance of squaring the ledger. Brad Waters takes up the story:

Trainer Peter Morgan says Seriously Good has a constantly fluctuating white blood cell count, but it didn’t stop the son of Bel Esprit claiming the carsales.com.au Handicap (1440m) at Caulfield today.
“He’s had his problems with his white cells being up and down,” Morgan said. “If we can keep his white cells under control then I think he can improve on that.
“It means he has got a low-grade infection somewhere. We haven’t been able to combat it but this week his bloods have been the best he has ever been.
“It has been frustrating. One day we take his bloods and he looks good and the next time his bloods are all over the place.”
Jockey Luke Nolen always has Seriously Good travelling comfortably on the back of the leaders before angling clear to make his run towards the inside of the track at the 250m.
Seriously Good stretched out strongly to beat backmarkers Smokin’ Joey and Meredith with the well-bred Sydney colt Best Choice making ground to finish fourth.
Morgan said Seriously Good is still among the Caulfield Guineas entries and may have earned himself a chance to recoup some of his big purchase price in the October 9 feature.
“I think there is still a little bit more improvement left in him,” he said. “We have still got him in the Guineas so we could go that way.
“We thought he might have been a sprinter early on what he showed us on his work. In a few runs he has been a little bit dour; he is heading for a little bit further than 1400m anyway.
“He might not even get into the Guineas, I’m not sure. But we have always had a good opinion of him.”

Bred by Jonel Park Thoroughbreds in Queensland, Seriously Good was originally sold as a yearling for $20,000 before being prepared for the 2009 Gold Coast Magic Millions Horses in Training Sale where he was knocked down to Morgan for $360,000.