An enterprising ride by Callan Murray on Belle Rose in the R150 000 Listed Oaks Trial gave Mike de Kock the honour of saddling the first stakes winner for a sire close to his heart.
Callan Murray (Belle Rose) and Anthony Delpech (Wind Chill) go head to head in the Oaks Trial (Pic – JC Photos)
De Kock trained High Chaparral’s outstanding son Golden Sword in the latter part of his career and labelled the Summerhill sire the best horse of a classy generation in his overseas string. Golden Sword still holds the record for the fastest 2000m at Meydan.
Golden Sword (High Chaparral – Sitara)
On Saturday the goodlooking Belle Rose’s narrow Listed stakes win for Al Adiyaat SA would have given the champion trainer much pleasure on a day he was thousands of kilometres away, saddling Mubtaahij to a not disgraced fourth placed finish behind superstar Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup.
Callan Murray had Belle Rose relaxed about five lengths off pacesetter Emily Jay in the sixteen horse charge that moved into the long Turffontein home straight.
Belle Rose glided up hard against the steel in the centre at the 400m marker, closely tracked by Wind Chill.
The pair drew off and with Belle Rose looking to initially hold the edge, Anthony Delpech had other ideas and got Joey Soma’s Silvano filly up alongside the leader.
At the 200m it was anybody’s race but under a beautifully balanced left handed ride, the Avontuur sponsored Murray kept Belle Rose to her task and she stayed on doggedly to hold the determined Wind Chill by a head in a time of 124,46 secs.
Callan Murray – great ride
The latter ran a gutsy race from her wide draw.
The Woodruff runner Parabola came on steadily to get third ahead of Costa Da Sol.
The pacemaking Emily Jay faded badly, as did recent runaway maiden winner Street Gaze, who had moved up dangerously at the 400m.
Belle Rose, her sire’s first winner as a 2yo back in May 2016, was purchased by Form Bloodstock for R475 000 at the 2015 CTS Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale.
She started a great hat-trick for Summerhill Stud on the afternoon – the champion breeders also produced Gr2 Senor Santa winner Champagne Haze (Belle Rose’ half brother) and the last race 2000m debut winner, Glider Pilot.
Belle Rose is by Golden Sword out of the versatile four-time winning Qui Danzig mare, Vin Fizz – dam of the day’s Gr2 1160m winner, Champagne Haze.
De Kock and Murray were in the winner’s enclosure in the first race when the well related Mustaaqeem (Redoute’s Choice-National Colour) blitzed his rivals for an impressive debut win.
The full brother to Gr2 Hawaii Stakes winner Rafeef was a A$1 750 000 buy and thus one of the most expensive horses to set foot on a racecourse in this country.
