Multiple New Zealand Group One winner Belclare has continued her strong form in Australia from her new quarters at Bjorn Baker’s stable.
The seven-year-old daughter of Per Incanto won the A$2 million Gr.2 The Invitation (1400m) at Randwick a fortnight ago and it was a case of rinse and repeat when landing the A$500,000 Gr.2 Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
On both occasions Belclare went forward under Tyler Schiller and had her rivals in trouble when showing a good kick mid-straight, with quality mare Magic Time chasing her home for second in both races.
“She made her own luck. I was surprised when Tyler got there so easily and there wasn’t a lot of pressure around,” stable representative Luke Hilton said.
“I was pretty confident after they’d gone a couple of hundred metres that she was going to be tough to beat. She likes to dictate. Just probably the three runs in succession at 1400m was the only concern and we thought maybe she was looking for a touch further, but Tyler rated her perfectly.
“She’s a Group One-winning mare and she showed that today.
“We’ve spoken about maybe heading over west to a race like the Railway (Gr.1, 1600m) in a couple of weeks’ time.
“We’ll sit down with the owner David Woodhouse, he’s very involved and he loves this mare, so if he gives us the sign off we might look at giving her a crack at another Group One. ”
Bred and raced by Woodhouse, time had been called on Belclare’s racing career last season, with the two-time winner of the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeder’s Stakes (1600m) destined to be sold as a broodmare.
She was subsequently offered at Magic Millions’ National Broodmare Sale, where she failed to meet her $700,000 reserve.
While initially disappointed with the outcome, Woodhouse has now got good reason to smile as Belclare has added valuable Australian black-type and her earnings have been bolstered to $2,223,780.
A winner of 11 races for original trainer Lisa Latta, Belclare has now won two of her four starts since joining Baker.
By outstanding Little Avondale Stud sire Per Incanto, Belclare is the third foal from the O’Reilly mare Miss Rhythmic, a winner of one race and herself a sister to Luxe, who ran third in the Listed Taranaki Oaks Prelude.
They are out of the Keeper mare Gymnast who in turn was out of the champion filly of her year in Olga’s Pal, whose six wins included the Gr. 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
