Belle bolts away at Riccarton

Class prevailed on the synthetic track at Riccarton on Thursday afternoon when Belle Of The Ball delivered the first winning strike of her career.

The Mark Walker-trained Savabeel deservedly broke through over 1400 metres after top four finishes in all of her previous six appearances.

Runner-up in last season’s Listed Warstep S., Belle Of The Ball had little go her way on her seasonal return at Taupo where she ran second.

“She was unlucky and she probably should have won. She seemed bright enough getting down there and it did look a nice race for her,” Walker said.

The four-year-old raced in behind the pace on the fence today and, once clear at the top of the straight, she sailed clear for rider Joe Kamaruddin.

Belle Of The Ball was purchased by Te Akau’s David Ellis for $300,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and is the first live foal of the Duke Of Marmalade mare Lady Tatia.

She is out of a sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Shogun Lodge, whose half-brothers Singing The Blues and Referral were the respective winners of the G1 Oakleigh Plate and George Ryder S.

Lady Tatia produced a sister to Belle Of The Ball last season and is again in foal to Savabeel.