Belle Of the ball's last dance
BRISBANE Fresh from his Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap triumph, Tim Clark has set his sights on another Queensland feature.
An opportunity to link with the fresh horse on the scene has convinced the leading Sydney jockey to pin his final Group 1 hopes of the season on Victorian-trained mare Grinzinger Belle in the $700,000 (S$580,000) Group 1 Tattersall's Tiara (1,400m) at Eagle Farm on June 28.
Clark, who won his second Stradbroke Handicap (1,600m) two weeks ago aboard War Machine (first was Alligator Blood in 2022), has never ridden Grinzinger Belle in a race.
But, having assessed her form, he is warming to the Shamexpress four-year-old having the right profile for the final major of the 2024-25 Australian racing term.
"My manager was keen. He had a look at the potential make-up of the field and she is the fresh horse on the scene," said Clark.
"The mares that have been racing up there have been taking turns a bit and there isn't a lot between them, so we looked outside the square a bit."
A four-time winner at Group level in Victoria, Grinzinger Belle was given a freshen-up, after finishing midfield in Fangirl's Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1,600m) at Randwick on April 12.
Before that, she had led throughout to comfortably claim the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1,600m) at Moonee Valley on March 22, and she is a two-time winner over the 1,400m Tattersall's Tiara journey.
She also has a good record fresh and Clark expects her on-pace racing style to be advantageous.
"A few of the mares' races up there have lacked a bit of speed and she is one who is going to make her own luck," he said.
"She likes to run along and break a field up. Hopefully we can end the season with another Group 1."
Prepared by Danny O'Brien - who also trained her sire Shamexpress - Grinzinger Belle is a 10-1 chance in pre-nomination markets, with the Chris Waller-trained Firestorm a 5-2 favourite.
While the Tattersall's Tiara will be the Australian season's last dance as the last Group 1 held, another horse, Headley Grange, is being aimed at the A$3 million Big Dance (1,600m) on Melbourne Cup day.
The model of consistency made a successful transition to stakes company in the Listed Civic Stakes (1,400m) at Randwick on June 21 when ridden by Jason Collett, with an eighth win from 18 starts.
The Exosphere four-year-old also boasts five seconds and two thirds, having now scored at his last two starts for trainer Joe Pride. He last won the Singapore Pools Handicap (1,300m), a Benchmark 94 race at Randwick on June 7.
"Nice to see him step up to that higher grade today," said the Warwick Farm handler. "That's never easy to do in a high-pressure race with plenty of opposition.
"He's come back particularly well this preparation and we will go to the South Grafton Cup next. We will try and qualify him for one of the 'Dances'."
Pride was just a bit wary of the gelding's propensity to become agitated in the mounting enclosure pre-race.
Trailing the strong tempo, Headley Grange ($11) peeled around the leaders in the straight. He dug deep to score by ½-length over the fast-finishingWelwal (Tommy Berry) and Astero (Andrew Adkins) another 3/4 length away in third.
To combat that, the trainer was granted permission from stewards to have Collett legged up just before the field went to the track and the tactic paid dividends.
"That's what was needed and it worked. He stayed relaxed," said Collett.
The Sydney-based Kiwi hoop rode in red-hot form on that day, bagging a hat-trick of wins, with the two others coming aboard Callistemon and Lulumon. SKY RACING WORLD
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