SELL’S BELLE

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but the win of the Michael Sell trained Milwaukee Belle at Kyneton yesterday was very, VERY good.

After running third at Mildura on debut on 9 December, it was clear the 3YO filly had some ability, but the performance over 1125m at Kyneton was something else.

Jumping from the widest barrier in the eight horse field, Milwaukee Belle missed the kick and was looking a little lost, but Luke Londregan soon took her to the lead and there she stayed.

Holding a handy lead turning for home, Londregan hit the power switch and away she went, scoring by five lengths.

Sure, it wasn’t Flemington on Derby day, but it’s worth noting that the field included a couple of runners from the powerful Hayes stable, while the favourite – Sward – is owned by Darley and trained by Anthony Freedman.

Racing out of the Michael Sell stable, Milwaukee Belle is out of the Dehere mare Milwaukee Flyer, who hails from the family of Caulfield Guineas winner Chortle and Kiwi Group One winner Rockabubble.

Milwaukee Flyer was bred and is part owned by Peter Lord, who also bred and part owns another handy Bel Esprit performer in Belcino.

BE WISE – BACK GOD

GOD rather famously delivered the goods a couple of millennia ago, but his namesake is providing owners, punters and breeders with a bit of cash to load up on their own Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh for Christmas.

In the past fortnight, God’s Own – who stands at Eliza Park in conjunction with Yallambee Stud – has produced 11 winners and, consequently, is shooting up the national Third Season Sires’ chart: firmly entrenched in the top 10 by winners.

The ‘run’ continued into the weekend with Eliza Park homebred, Godwilling, scoring at Canterbury on Friday night.

The Kris Lees trained sprinter is only lightly raced, but had his mind well and and truly on the job on Friday, scoring comfortably over the 1100m journey and taking his career tally to two wins and a second from only three starts.

Out of the Group winning (and Golden Slipper third) Rubiton mare Millrich, Godwilling is one of six winners out of this top class producer who is also the dam of Group winner and sire, Danerich.

It certainly augurs well for the Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale in February when Eliza Park will consign a half brother (by Commands) to Godwilling (Lot 66).

God’s Own also weighed in with another winner on Saturday when Seven Squared (from the Raise A Stanza mare Wingin’ a Prayer) scored easily at King Island, but it could so easily have been a double after Andrew Noblet’s Terpsichore (from the Jugah mare Rain Dance Lady) went within a whisker of notching up a win at headquarters. Beaten a neck in the Beachside Handicap over 1420m at Flemington, Terpsichore has to be one of the unluckiest horse’s in training. She had to be steadied to avoid climbing over the backs of runners on Saturday … at her previous outing when second at Morphettville she was forced to race wide when again beaten a neck … and, at her first run back from a spell in November, she knuckled over on jumping and was held up for a run in the straight.

And just to round out the weekend, the Terry and Katrina O’Sullivan trained, Belzeus (from the Balmerino mare Balmaria) scooted away for a two length romp at Horsham to take his tally to a win and a second from four outings.

Stay tuned – there’s more presents on the way!

Godwilling

BEL PICKS UP 6

Victoria’s Champion Sire, Bel Esprit, hasn’t missed a beat in the last few days either with a treble on Friday, a double on Saturday and a winner on Sunday.

Natalie McCall’s Ballroom Dance (from the Bellotto mare Fanza) got the ball rolling (oops, a pun) by comfortably capturing a 1000m scamper at the Sunshine Coast before Neil Dyer’s consistent Bel Sir (from the Group winning Euclase mare Mrs Bently) led all the way to score by two and a half panels at Moonee Valley.

Bel Sir has only once been out of the money is 10 starts this time in and was an unlucky second at Morphettville at his previous outing after jumping awkwardly and finding no space in the run home.

Lam Wai Yuen Steven (yep, try saying that quickly with a mouthful of marbles) is one of the top trainers in Singapore and he’s got a fairly handy type in China Eagle (from the Noalcoholic mare Apalachicola) who rounded out the treble by scoring over 1700m at Kranji.

On Saturday, John Salanitri’s filly To Be Honest (hailing from the Cossack Warrior mare Miss Lardydar) produced a gun performance to score by 3 lengths over 2000m at Colac, while the 7YO Vigneron (ex. Woodman mare Lenswood) notched up his sixth career victory in fine style with an equally impressive performance over 1400m at Bathurst.

And last, but certainly not least for Simon Drewitt and his band of owners, the classy mare Lady Reyane (from Mustin Lake mare True Blue Spirit) was indeed true blue in taking out a 1200m event at Port Lincoln, fighting on gamely to register another spine tingling victory.

Bel Sir

MAGNUS HALF TO CASSINI

Buyers hunting for a Magnus (below) at the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier will have 35 opportunities to take one home and, courtesy of Cassini’s victory in the Group Three Manawatu Cup in New Zealand on the weekend, Lot 57 will assuredly be one of the most popular.

Firstly, the bay colt is the first Magnus off the rank, secondly he’s a cracking type and last but not least, he’s a half brother to Cassini whose Manawatu Cup win is the second stakes victory for the classy mare.

Bred by Eliza Park, Cassini is out of the Honor Grades mare, Mathematical, who has also produced three other winners including the multiple Group placed Prestigious Miss, and is a daughter of Group One winner True Devotion.

Magnus has only had limited representation to date, but his four runners have all garnered cheques including Imprimus and Magnus Reign, both of which were stakes placed on debut.

WELCOME TO 2012

Well, Christmas is just about upon us and for those of us in the thoroughbred industry, yuletide beckons much more than a tubby bloke in a red suit.

The Gold Coast Magic Millions kicks off on 11 January and Eliza Park will consign 15 youngsters north, including sons and daughters of Bel Esprit, Magnus, Statue of Liberty (his first Eliza Park crop), Lonhro, Testa Rossa, Duke of Marmalade, Commands, Ad Valorem, Bernardini, Street Sense, Hard Spun and Kheleyf (click here for Eliza Park entries which currently include seven updates since the catalogue was released).

Then it’s on to the Sydney Classic (22-24 January) where an even dozen will venture to the Inglis sales complex, including pairs from Bel Esprit and Statue of Liberty, along with yearlings by Magnus, Written Tycoon, Shinzig, Lonhro, Henrythenavigator, Elvstroem, Snippetson and Kheleyf (click here).

In the past two years, Eliza Park has enjoyed considerable success across the pond and will again take a select group to New Zealand for its national series (30 January-3 February): leading the way are progeny by Exceed And Excel (Lot 68 being a close relation to Black Caviar), Lonhro, Sebring and Northern Meteor (click here) while there is also a God’s Own half brother to two Group winners in the Select Session (click here).

However, it’s back on home turf – and in Adelaide – where Eliza Park will again have its largest representation.

At the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier (27 February-1 March – click here) Eliza Park will be represented by no less than 64 yearlings, while at the Adelaide Magic Millions (13-14 March – click here), 36 will make the trek to Morphettville.

In Melbourne, there are 10 yearlings by Magnus, 8 by Bel Esprit and 6 by Statue of Liberty, first crop progeny of Astronomer Royal and Sharkbite, along with youngsters by Fastnet Rock, Lonhro, Exceed And Excel, Testa Rossa, High Chaparral, Commands, Dehere, Choisir, Henrythenavigator, Hussonet, Stratum, Street Boss, Charge Forward, Dubawi, Dylan Thomas, Duke of Marmalade, Pins, Reset, Sebring, Starcraft, Myboycharlie, Northern Meteor, Not A Single Doubt, Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun.

Meanwhile, in Adelaide, the lineup features 6 yearlings by Written Tycoon, 5 by Magnus and 4 by Bel Esprit, along with sons and daughters of Astronomer Royal, Sharkbite, Shinzig, Statue of Liberty, God’s Own, Desert Sun, Stratum, Strategic, Duke of Marmalade, Al Maher, Beautiful Crown, Bianconi, Churchill Downs, Clangalang, Hard Spun, Husson, Murtajil and Manner Hill.

Statue of Liberty yearlings are returning to the sales ring