INFINITE SKILL

Big weekend for young Corinella trainer, Shea Eden, producing a double at Cranbourne on Friday night before following up with a Moonee Valley winner on Saturday. Three from three.

Eden got the ball rolling with a win to Trinity House in the second before taking out the lucky last with his Shinzig 3YO, To Infinity who notched up his second career victory by getting up in a thriller.

This time in, To Infinity has notched up two wins – the other a four length romp at Kilmore – and a placing from as many starts. Definitely on the improve.

Meanwhile, the Eden stables sole runner on Saturday was Zellindi (below), who raced very greenly on debut behind another Bel Esprit juvenile in Iconic.

No hard luck story at the Valley though, sitting just off the lead throughout and pouncing over the final stages to score with a half length to spare.

Bel Esprit’s 2YO winners this season include Clevadude, Diamond Glow and Iconic, plus the stakes placed pair of Architect and Topaque.

ANOTHER ONE AWAY FOR MAGNUS

Robbie Griffiths looked a little shell shocked. He’d just forked out $230,000 for a Danzero colt from the Plush mare, Political Asylum, at the 2005 Gold Coast Magic Millions … the most he’d ever paid for a yearling.

He was still a bit nonplussed when, after 13 starts, the now gelding had won just the two starts – $10,700 for a maiden at Wangaratta and $5,850 for a Class 1 at Ballarat.

However, Griffiths is nothing if not persistent and Danzylum has now won three stakes races (including successive Chester Manifolds) and close enough to $740k in stakes.

Fortunately, the Cranbourne mentor hasn’t had to wait so long for Danzylum’s 3YO half sister by Magnus – the aptly named Petrova – who won comfortably on debut over 1000m at her home track on Friday night.

Bred by Rob Crabtree – who owns the majority shareholding in his Group One sprinter Magnus, the mare, and a part share in the filly – Petrova is also a half sister to dual Group One winner Landsighting.

The win, undoubtedly, would have been greeted with much excitement (and lot a little relief) by the crew at Griffiths Racing and expect to see a lot more of this filly in the weeks to come!

Hoofnote: Petrova is named after the Russian diplomat’s wife, Evdokia Petrova, who sought political asylum in Australia in a much publicised case in April 1954.

TIME TO GET CROSS

You gotta love the nick … Bel Sprinter is just one of 10 runners by Bel Esprit out of Snippets mares. Nine of them have won.

Meanwhile, there are 23 Bel Esprit runners with Snippets in the bottom half of the pedigree and 19 of them have won, including five stakes winners: Bel Sprinter, of course, Vivacious Spirit (also out of a Snippets mare), City of Song, Honey Flower, Audacious Spirit and … oh yes, Black Caviar (ex. Helsinge from the Snippets mare Scandinavia).

VIVA LA SPRINTER

Bel Sprinter’s dam, Gavroche, is well named. Fortunately for those around, I won’t be bursting into a rendition of the Second Attack anytime soon, but Gavroche is the street urchin shot while collecting cartridges in Les Miserables.

Meanwhile, Gavroche, the equine version, is out of the Miswaki mare La Miserable.

Gavroche was foaled in 2002 and trained by Lee Freedman – winning a Bairnsdale Maiden … clearly her son is doing a lot better.

Still, she was somewhat superior to the 1985 model, Gavroche (by Peg’s Sovereign out of So Ella) whose eight starts in the early 90s produced no wins and no placings, culminating in a 11^th of 12 at Bairnsdale.

Long-time Eliza client, Tony Fiume, raced Gavroche Mk I, who freely admits the horse couldn’t run out of sight on a dark night, but was named after the restaurant in East Hawthorn, which Tony and his wife Marcia ran for 10 years. Tony and Marcia’s other restaurant was Le Gamin (translation: street urchin) … and it’s a fairly safe bet that they served French cuisine.

BEL’S GROUP ONE SEASON

Regardless of whatever happens in the final quarter, Bel Esprit is experiencing his best season … ever.

Following Bel Sprinter’s devastating burst in last Saturday’s The Galaxy, he has become – to the best of our knowledge – the only sire to produce two individual Group One winners in 2013.

Furthermore, courtesy of winners such as No Manners (over 1400m at Sandown) and Esprit’s Choice (4.5 length winner at Warrnambool) through the week – Bel Esprit (below) retains his handy lead on the Australian Sires’ chart by winners … and with a superior winners to runners strike rate.

Everything is ship shape: Black Caviar is poised to race again next week, while his other runners include the exciting stakes winner Loveyamadly (6 wins and 3 placings from 9 outings) and another up and comer in Angels Beach who remains unbeaten after two outings. She is no Black Caviar but she is trained by one P Moody! Angels Beach is a half sister to the Group winner Patronyme, whose first foal will be sold by Eliza Park at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale (Lot 251) next Wednesday.

It’s a position he retains today and, importantly, with a superior winners to runners strike rate than those nearest.

Aiding and abetting are his finest crop of two year olds: one time Magic Millions favourite, Clevadude, Group placed Architect and another black typer in Topaque lit up the stage before Christmas, while inaugural VOBIS Gold winner Diamond Glow and Iconic – who won the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Rush – just two weeks ago, have carried the torch into 2013.

Not surprisingly, his 2013 yearlings are very much in demand at major sales with his youngsters selling up to $165,000 on the Gold Coast, a colt sold for $250,000 at the New Zealand Premier, while on home turf he averaged $92k plus with a topper of $280,000 at the Melbourne Premier.

Full steam ahead.