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Source: TTR Australia & NZ by Kit Gow
Spring saw several 3-year-old fillies rocket to stardom within their first few starts, and it was the same story for Chris Waller’s Belle Detelle (Zed {NZ}) on Saturday at Royal Randwick, who made a victorious first leap into stakes company at her fifth start in the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes. Breaking her maiden at just her previous start at Sandown, the 3-year-old filly had to overcome being shuffled to the outside of the field – despite drawing barrier 3 – and entering the home straight as almost the widest runner on the track.
You Wahng (So You Think {NZ}) took the plunge first once straightening, pushing to the front, with ante-post favourite Polymnia (Dundeel {NZ}) hot on her heels. Still, it was Belle Detelle that let down most impressively out of the three, pushing past the pair to hold on by 0.35l for victory, even with Polymnia fighting hard beside her.
“It’s very special,” Waller said. “We’ve always had a soft spot for her and we knew when we got her to 2000 metres, she would start to excel because of that pedigree. But until you do it on race day, it’s easier to talk about it than do it, so it was great to see.”
The race hung in the balance at the 400 metres with jockey Damian Lane – who rode a stakes double – having to urge the filly into the running, but Waller was full of praise for how she closed off the event, saying, “she was really strong the last 100 metres.
“Look, she’s had a long prep, she’s going to be fit enough if we decide to, but at the same time, do we back off and go to Queensland for a Queensland Oaks? I’ll have a talk to Damian and see what he says.
“It’s (this race) always been a target for the last month or so, where we got to from here wasn’t so much in the sights. So today was the target.”
The daughter of Zed (NZ), sire of the great Verry Elleegant (NZ), was bred and has been retained to race by Nicholas Bishara and associates, who paid NZ$2000 for her dam Black Lace (NZ) (Towkay) in 2012 as a yearling. Black Lace is herself a winning half-sister to Verry Elleegant and her 14-time winner brother Verry Flash(NZ) (Zed {NZ}). She has yearling and weanling colts by Dundeel (NZ) to follow, and visited Admire Mars (Jpn) in the spring.