Warwick Farm trainer Bjorn Baker sent out the quinella in the Gr.3 Sharp Extensive IT Aspiration Quality (1600m), with six-year-old mare Missybeel (NZ) (Savabeel), a $61 chance, narrowly prevailing from more fancied stablemate ($5) She’s Ideel (Dundeel).
Already the winner of last season’s Gr.3 Epona Stakes (1900m) last season, Missybeel is now the winner of seven of her 43 starts, with a further nine placings.
“I tell you what, she wasn’t a 60/1 shot, I don’t know who’s framing the markets,” Baker said.
“She’s already a Group Three winner, that puts her ahead of most of these horses, no weight, she had to do a lot of work.
Ridden by Jay Ford, Missybeel was prominent throughout.
“She’s been a good mare for the Baker stable throughout her career and it was a good reward for her,” Ford said.
“Her runs have been okay without flattering and I just think she’s developed a habit of not getting out of the gates, so I was quite aggressive on her early to get her out and get her on top of a race that looked devoid of speed.
“It was pretty moderately run throughout, so I pressed the button before the bend and she was game enough to hold on. ”
The Waikato Stud-bred Missybeel and her four-time winning sister Loveseat are the two winners from Sitting Pretty, an O’Reilly half-sister to multiple Group One winner Metal Bender.
One of 112 stakes winners for Waikato Stud’s Champion stallion Savabeel, the outstanding sire operates at 11 percent stakes winners to runners, while the Savabeel-O’Reilly cross operates at 14 percent stakes winners to runners.
