3 minute read
Bella Nipotina lands Quezette Stakes.
The Lindsay Park-trained Bella Nipotina (3 f ex Bella Orfana by Star Witness) - who held the mantle of being Pride Of Dubai's (Street Cry) highest earner last season, helping him to be crowned champion first-season sire - landed the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday which saw her become the Coolmore Stud-based stallion's third stakes winner.
Bella Nipotina failed to salute the judge in seven starts as a juvenile, but was placed second in both the Inglis Banner 2YO Stakes (RL, 1000m) and Inglis 2YO Millennium (RL, 1100m), but she finally got her head in front on Saturday, beating River Night (Night Of Thunder) by two lengths, while Aquagirl (Headwater) finished another three-quarters of a length away in third - leading home a trifecta for second season sires.
"She has been a very unlucky horse in her races to date," co-trainer Ben Hayes said.
"She has been knocked off by some really nice horses. Off her trials she looked like she had really improved.
"We weren't sure. We were going to go to a Maiden but we changed plans and hence came here, a stakes race, and it was a very good decision."
Bred by Saconi Thoroughbreds, the three-year-old filly was a $80,000 purchase by her trainer, Andrew Williams Bloodstock and Mt Hallowell Stud at the 2019 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from the Rosemont Stud draft and she is the first foal out of the placed Star Witness (Starcraft) mare Bella Orfana.
Bella Orfana herself is a three-quarter sister to Gilgai Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Hallowell Belle (Starcraft), while she is also a half-sister to Group 3 winner Fuddle Dee Duddle (Red Ransom).
Further back this is the family of Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner In Top Swing (Beautiful Crown).
Bella Orfana's 2018 filly by Capitalist (Written Tycoon) was passed in at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale after failing to make her $100,000 reserve and she has most recently been covered by Widden Stud-based sire Trapeze Artist (Snitzel).
Pride Of Dubai's first year with runners last season, was headlined by Listed winner Tanker and he was represented by his first winner from his northern hemisphere crop last week, when Star Of Emaraaty landed the Solera Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at Newmarket.
The son of Street Cry (Machiavellian) shuttled to Ireland for three seasons and now stands exclusively at Coolmore Jerrys Plains base where his fee for the upcoming breeding season is $38,500 (inc GST).
