Justin Snaith received some compensation for the Legislate Drill Hall Stakes disappointment at Greyville on Friday evening when he introduced the magnificent Dynasty filly Bela-Bela as a serious SA Champions Season prospect when she overcame traffic issues in the home straight to beat a strong field to win the R400 000 Gr2 SA Fillies Guineas.
Anthony Delpech gets Bela-Bela up to hold a late challenge from Nightingale (Grant Van Niekerk)
The beautiful grey daughter of champion sire Dynasty could have won this on looks alone and she showed that her unplaced effort behind Silver Mountain in the Cape Fillies Guineas near the end of last year was all wrong.
Making her SA Champions Season debut fresh off a 16 week break following a great third in the Gr1 Paddock Stakes behind Smart Call, Bela-Bela was easy to back but came powering home like a seriously decent filly.
Anthony Delpech had Bela-Bela some way off the pace set by Cape visitor Our Destiny who was tracked all the way around by Negroamaro, who was bidding to give the Van Vuuren-Marwing combo a feature double.
Negroamaro quickly took it up in the straight but fitness counted as Anthony Delpech had Bela-Bela switching out of traffic and storming up to challenge.
Inside the 200m, Bela-Bela was going too well and she held off the late charge of Nightingale to win by a half length in a time of 98,97 secs.
The progressive Silvano filly Nightingale provided the Mike Bass team with some compensation after the modest effort of their star, Silver Mountain, who finished 5,50 lengths behind the winner. The daughter of Silvano cannot be written off, but she was not alone in returning after a break – and time will tell.
The grey Negroamaro was always up in the vanguard and only tired late to run a decent third – her season target is the Woolavington 2000.
Bela-Bela, who races in the famous Varsfontein silks was labelled ‘the best 3yo in the country’ by Bernard Fayd’herbe when winning on her debut. She certainly looks close to that assessment and it was ironic that Fayd’herbe rode the odds-on Silver Mountain here for the first time- without success.
Anthony Delpech said that Bela-Bela was a ‘special filly’.
“She has been showing such good work back home and we were a little bit worried about the 11 draw. But she was so relaxed and then showed her ability and courage after checking to turning it on so beautifully. I am look forward to riding her again!” he said.
Team Snaith at the lead-in as Anthony Delpech salutes
Justin Snaith looked relieved after the Legislate let-down of earlier and said that Delpech was a ‘perfect match’ for the smart filly.
The Cheveley Stud-bred Bela-Bela was purchased by Varsfontein Stud at the National 2yo sale for R1,4 million.
She has won 3 races with 1 place from 5 starts and took her stakes total to R458 125. That excludes the BSA Added Value Stakes Bonus of R102 500.
Bela-Bela is by Dynasty and hails from an outstanding winning female line.
She is out of the prolific winner producing Royal Academy mare, Mystic Spring, whose champion sire, a Breeders Cup Mile winner, left behind no fewer than 167 stakes winner.
Mystic Spring’s dam, Secret Sunday, was a full sister to Mystiko – who gave Michael Roberts his first British classic when winning the 1991 English 2000 Guineas.
While she may not have achieved much on the track, Mystic Spring more than made up for that at stud.
Her seven foals to reach the track all won – and, indeed, won a total of 20 races between them. Four were stakes winners, and two of Mystic Spring’s daughters have produced stakes winners to date.
Mystic Spring’s best runner was ill-fated champion Rabiya, who tragically suffered a fatal break down in the running of the 2005 Durban July. Before his untimely death, Rabiya had won over R1 million, and landed both the Gr1 Cape Guineas and Gr2 Cape Derby, as well as Gr1 Daily News 2200.
Secret of Victoria won four features, including the Cape’s two graded sprint races for fillies – the Gr2 Sceptre Stakes and Gr2 Southern Cross Stakes.
The daughter of Goldkeeper has been equally successful at stud and most fresh in our memory will be her daughter The Secret Is Out (by Captain Al) who maintained her unbeaten record with a facile win in last Sunday’s Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes.
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Gr2 Fillies Guineas (SAf-Gr2)
Greyville, South Africa, May 6, R400k, 1600m, turf, good, 1.38.97
1 – BELA-BELA (SAF), 60.0, b f 3, Dynasty (SAF) – Mystic Spring (IRE) by Royal Academy (USA). Owner Varsfontein Stud (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr J S Kalmanson); Breeder Cheveley Stud; trainer J Snaith; jockey A Delpech
2 – Nightingale (SAF), 60.0, b f 3, Silvano (GER) – Quickwood (SAF) by Fort Wood (USA)
3 – Negroamaro (SAF), 60.0, gr f 3, Fort Wood (USA) – Touch Of Tuscan (SAF) by Al Mufti (USA)
Margins: 0.50, 1.75, 1.75
