BEL SPRINTER PROVES A POINT

Bel Sprinter made it four wins from as many starts when demolishing his rivals in the Regal Roller Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Caulfield, en route to becoming the 13th stakeswinner for his sire Bel Esprit.

Bel Sprinter is out of the winning Snippets mare Gavroche and the combination of Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) and Snippets (Lunchtime) is looking extremely effective. The Arion Pedigrees report shows 17 named foals bred on this cross, nine have raced and all nine have won for two stakeswinners.

In addition to Bel Sprinter, Vivacious Spirit won the How Now Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and there are five metropolitan winners – Snip Esprit, Beleconi, Striding Success, Babieca Noire and Ibsen.

The Snippets connection is further consolidated with the son of Lunchtime (GB) featuring as the maternal grandsire of Bel Esprit’s best performer to date in Black Caviar, last season’s juvenile stakeswinner City Of Song and the Group 2 placed Audacious Spirit.

In addition to this cross, Bel Sprinter is inbred to Nijinsky, Northern Dancer and Silly Season within his first five generations.

Gavroche is a half-sister to the French stakes performer Azelna (Tropular), the dam of the North American Listed winner Macias (Purge). Bel Sprinter’s granddam La Miserable (USA) is a Miswaki half-sister to Always Aloof (Alleged), who won the Prix Gladiateur (Gr 3, 3100m) in France before coming to Australia and winning the Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) at Caulfield.

Bel Sprinter’s third-dam Miranda is by Forli and a half-sister to the Italian Listed winner River Jig (Irish River), dam of the Group 2 winning filly Dance Parade (Gone West) and granddam of the Prix de la Foret (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Toylsome (Cadeaux Genereux).

Bel Sprinter traces directly to the influential broodmare Monarchy, his sixth-dam. By the champion broodmare sire Princequillo out of equally influential Knight’s Daughter (Sir Cosmo), Monarchy won the Alcibiades and Arlington Lassie Stakes. And while she was a good racehorse it is as a broodmare that she has exerted an influence that is still felt today.

Her son Fabled Monarch (Le Fabuleux) won the Lexington Handicap (Gr 2, 9f) and her daughter Title (Bold Ruler) was second in the Spinaway Stakes (Gr 1, 6f). Another son Imperialist (Bold Ruler) stood at stud in New Zealand with mixed results while another daughter State left four Graded winners in North America including Narrate (Honest Pleasure), the granddam of Fountain Of Youth Stakes (Gr 2, 8f) winner and successful sire Pulpit (A PIndy).

Narrate is also the granddam of Phoenix Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) winner Minardi (Boundary) and King’s Bishop Stakes (Gr 2, 7f) winner and successful sire Tale Of The Cat (Storm Cat) and the third-dam of World Champion Juvenile of 2001 in Johannesburg (Hennessy).

- Pedigree Page (by Darryl Sherer) ANZ Bloodstock News