ROYAL PERFORMANCE WAS AUDACIOUS

With a bold, front running display, Audacious Spirit went within a nostril of becoming BEL ESPRIT’s 11th stakes winner yesterday: just pipped on the line by Master Harry in the Group Two David Jones Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m).
The last 100m was heart stopping as the colt battled on strongly for his owner Robert Harding and Gold Coast trainer Gillian Heinrich.
This is some colt – yet to finish out of the money in eight starts, this is the fourth time Audacious Spirit has figured in the first four at stakes level and his day in the sun is looming.
Eliza Park will be selling a full brother to Audacious Spirit at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale on Tuesday 1 March [Lot 236] and, based on his Royal Sovereign performance, there’ll be plenty of visitors to brother’s box in Barn G at Oaklands Junction.
Audacious Spirit is out of the Zeditave mare Roskeel, who now has two winners (from two to race) and is a half sister to another Bel Esprit Group winner in Vivacious Spirit and the Group placed Jacques le Naif.

Despite the disappointment of Audacious Spirit just missing the big prize in Sydney, Bel Esprit still enjoyed a successful weekend with Navillus Superman scoring at Bendigo on Saturday and Plain Lucky getting the money at Seymour today.
Navillus Superman, now with canny Victorian trainer, Andrew Noblet, had his first six outings in Queensland but appears to have appreciated the move south. At Bendigo, Navillus Superman jumped from the outside gate, but soon went to the front and held on like granny’s tooth to score.
Bred by Peter Fraser, Navillus Superman is out of the Dolphin Street mare, Sharna Cabarna.
Meanwhile, racing in the first at Seymour the Mick Price trained Plain Lucky appears to be a very exciting prospect for connections.
Out of the Rory’s Jester mare Jestawinna and bred by Milburn Creek Thoroughbreds in NSW, Plain Lucky had four trials in Western Australia – winning three of them – before being transferred to Mick Price’s Caulfield stables.
No wonder they were watching him and was sent a $1.20 favourite.
According to Bel blogger, Brian Donohoe, this is the 43rd Bel Esprit to win on debut.