Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday May 18

The Nick Olive-trained Sizzling Belle will be given her chance to credit first season stallion Sizzling with his first stakes-winner in Saturday’s Listed Bill Carter Stakes (1200m) at Doomben.

On the go since winning a maiden at Wagga Wagga on January 12, Sizzling Belle was a luckless eighth in last Saturday’s Group II Champagne Classic won by Zousain.

The daughter of Sizzling (pictured ) looked to have plenty to offer when she was bailed up behind tiring runners.

That was her first start since finishing just over four lengths behind the winner Estijaab when unplaced in the Golden Slipper.


A brave second in the Group III Black Opal Stakes in Canberra, Sizzling Belle was $50,000 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale purchase for her trainer from the Element Hill draft.

She is the third winner from stakes-placed Magic Albert mare Greenmount Belle who is a distant relative to a former ‘Best On Breeding’, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt Santos.

The connection comes through Santos’s great granddam Lady Upstage (GB) who is the dam of the exceptionally gifted Shaftsbury Avenue.

Lady Upstage (GB) is a half-sister to Khalekan (GB) who placed in the Dewhurst Stakes and Observer Gold Cup at two before winning the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood and was runner-up in the Irish St Leger.

Imported to Australia by the champion jockey Des Lake, Khalekan (GB) won the 1968 STC HE Tancred Cup.

But many years before Lady Upstage (GB) and Khalekan (GB) found their way to Australia, the monumentally successful breeder, Stanley Wooten had imported their half-sister named Widden.

A daughter of the Epsom Derby winner Nimbus, Widden was lightly raced but she placed in the Group III Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket.

Widden did not leave a thriving dynasty. All of her seven foals made it to the track and four were winners.

One of them was the Randwick winner Louicette who had just two winners from six named foals.

The best of them was the stakes-placed Vain mare Delfina who is the dam of the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate runner-up Isn’t She Gorgeous (Biscay).

Louicette’s half-sister Noonabelle (Red Anchor) was unraced although she did leave four winners from her five to race including Sizzling Belle’s dam Greenmount Belle.

Purchased for a mere $10,000 by Prime Thoroughbred’s Joe O’Neil, Greenmount Belle proved a more than useful performer in Tasmania winning eight races and was twice stakes-placed.

Sent to the 2010 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale, Greenmount Belle was purchased by Glenn Burroughs for $30,000.

The daughter of Magic Albert has Love Conquers All colt heading to the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

He cost just $1,000 as a weanling so the consignors Waylon J Stud will be cheering as loudly as Sizzling Belle’s connections on Saturday.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Russian Revolution Filly Scores at Arawa Park
Elegant Jazz made a strong opening to her three-year-old campaign at Arawa Park on Wednesday, breaking her maiden with a promising performance in the Novara Park 1230.
Christmas Comes Early for Kiwi Racecaller
In Hong Kong, Christmas comes early for racing fans, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club hosting their International Races at Sha Tin each December.
Promising Debut Winner – Three-Quarter Brother for MM 2025
Chiming in late with giant strides at the finish was I Am Invincible filly Arriving Home, who made a winning debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday in the same colours as her Group I winning stablemate Steffi Magnetica.
Aussie Hopes Looking Bright in Hong Kong
The three Australian contenders for this Sunday’s Hong Kong International Races all look in great shape leading into the meeting with Grant Courtney getting some great images from the track.
FBAA Open Letter on the Australian Pattern System
The Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia (FBAA) is writing to address a matter that impacts the foundation of our industry’s credibility and success: the stagnation of the Australian Pattern system and the concerning attempts to assign unapproved Group race status.
Vale, Acclamation - Sire of Cox Plate Hero Romantic Warrior
Influential sire Acclamation has died at age 25, only a few weeks after being officially retired from stallion duties at Rathbarry Stud in Ireland.
All Too Hard Sprinter Going Strong
Well-performed speed merchant Babylon Berlin will strip a fitter mare for Saturday’s assignment at Ellerslie.
Interesting Purchase for Laundry Cottage Stud – In Foal to Chaldean
Laundry Cottage Stud is the farm that produced our Cox Plate winner Via Sistina and also Wootton Bassett, one of the hottest sires this year, and they made an interesting purchase during Tattersalls December Mares Sale Day 2 with a great interview from Gina Bryce with her dad Colin Bryce, who co-owns this G1 producing nursery.
4.8 million Irish Oaks winner Leads Record Turnover at Tattersalls December Mares Sale
The extraordinary trade seen at Tattersalls during the October Yearling Sale and last week’s December Foal Sale suggested that something spectacular could be in the offing at the December Mares Sale and so it proved on a day where turnover of 55,168,500 guineas exceeded the previous record for the highest grossing day in European auction history, set at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares Sa
La Crique Chasing Another G1
La Crique hasn’t returned to Trentham since she won the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old, and three years down the track, the star mare will line up as a leading hope in Saturday’s Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m).