Latest news with #BelEspritStakes
News.com.au
6 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Niance returns with dominant win in Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield after recovering from mystery skull fracture
Aspiring top class sprinter Niance picked up where she left off last spring – albeit without infected bone fragments in her skull – for a dominant Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1200m) victory at Caulfield. The Grahame Begg -trained flyer comfortably accounted for race-fit Cleo Cat and Aviatress in her first start back from a mystery cracked skull. Niance was being rested for an Oakleigh Plate campaign when staff discovered the significant injury. 'She cracked her skull and had fragments taken out,' Begg said. 'The problem was we didn't know how she injured herself. She was in the paddock and they found her, she had swelling to her skull. 'There wasn't any sign of any head trauma or anything, we were a bit miffed what happened to her. 'We had to do surgery on her to remove the (infected bone) fragments, once we got all that cleaned up and looked after he very well … she's bounced through it and onwards and upwards.' Niance is back in a big way taking out the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes giving the Begg stable a Caulfield double! @Grahame_Begg @daniel_moor @AceBloodstock â€' 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) May 31, 2025 • Niance powered to victory on Saturday, cruised wide in the run and took over quickly in the straight. 'She's a gun,' Begg said after favourite Niance sealed a Caulfield double for the stable. 'Never knows how to run a bad race. 'She was in a good rhythm all the way through, I just said to (jockey) Daniel (Moor) keep it smooth, it doesn't matter if you're wide because … she's got a great will to win this mare. 'I'm sure there's better things in store for her.' Begg has a Group 2 option in Queensland to consider but indicated the Group 3 The Heath 1100 at Caulfield in August could parlay better into the spring with ultimate Group 1 aspirations. Niance has won seven of 11 starts including the past three in stakes' company. • Big Swinger's stunning burst bails out favourite backers 'To be able to bounce back and come through that (injury) … she hasn't missed a beat,' Begg said. 'She gave us all the indication she prepped up really well for today, it was the ideal race for her. 'She's done a good job to come back and do what she has done today.' Moor appreciated the pick-up ride on Niance and nailed the brief. 'She's not a huge horse but she's got a great length of stride,' Moor said. 'In a matter of two strides we'd gone from being two lengths off them to right at them and I just wanted her to harness that in the right way … wanted to give her that balanced up set up to let rip.' Begg's first winner on Saturday's card, Splash Back, was equally impressive, charging to victory in the 1200m Fillies and Mares Benchmark 78.
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
South Australian trainer Richard Jolly tackles Bel Esprit Stakes with gun sprinter Aviatress
The Robert Sangster Stakes didn't go to plan for Aviatress, but trainer Richard Jolly is hopeful his sprinting mare can rediscover winning ways in Saturday's Listed Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield. Aviatress returned to form with a fourth placing in last start's Straight Six (1200m) at Flemington, three weeks after finishing second last in the Group 1 Sangster (1200m) at Morphettville. • Under pressure a long way from home, the Sangster run remains a little bemusing to Jolly, but the trainer was pleased to see the stakes-winning mare back among the action at Flemington, where she was beaten less than a length. 'She just had a bit of an off day in the Sangster, we're not sure what was wrong to be honest,' Jolly, who trains in partnership with daughter, Chantelle, said. 'Her blood was a bit ordinary after the run but she bounced back pretty quickly. 'She ran really well the other day down the straight, if she could've been on that outside section, it was playing a little bit better where the winner came down. 'There wasn't much in it but it certainly would've made a bit of a difference.' The heavily-backed Aviatress is a class above first-up in the Listed Matrice Stakes, grabbing her second Stakes honour & sixth victory from 12 starts 🚀 Jake Toeroek & @RJollyRacing claim their respective doubles ðŸ'� — (@Racing) March 29, 2025 Saturday's assignment will be the mare's final run this preparation, she won the Matrice Stakes first-up at Morphettville, a second career stakes win. 'She pulled up well, we thought we would roll the dice and give her one more run before a break,' he said. 'It's not an easy field, if anything it looks a bit tougher, but she's going well and her best is certainly good enough. 'She won't have a long spell, but she'll probably have 3-4 weeks and we'll probably look at some mares stakes race throughout the spring.' • No Frankie, no worries for Giga Kick in Group 1 attack Aviatress will be ridden by Zac Spain and is a $11 chance with Sportsbet for Saturday's Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m). Jolly also has last start winner Star Sirius in a Benchmark 78 (1200m), and Pudding in a Benchmark 84 (2000m) on the nine-race Caulfield card. 'Darren Thomas (Seymour Bloodstock) will probably breed from her (Star Sirius) I'd say, so it was good to get a win at Flemington on her CV, it wasn't a surprise, we didn't take her over there guessing, we thought she was up to those kind of races,' he said. 'She's in good form, I'm sure she'll give a good sight. 'Pudding's last couple of runs have been good actually, on paper its just fifth and sixth but he's had no luck in either race. 'I'm really pleased with how he's going, he just needs a bit of luck in the race which he hasn't had.' Jolly has 12 runners across Victoria and South Australia on Saturday, and he's taking the stable's lone runner to Hawker, with veteran gelding Shakespeare tackling the Hawker Cup (1750m). 'We've got all these runners and I'm doing the Hawker run,' he said. 'We're leaving tomorrow morning, we'll get up there and stay the night.' Jolly has also bid farewell to stable star See You In Heaven, the six-time stakes winner was sold for $1m at Tuesday's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast. 'You know its always going to come to an end at some stage,' Jolly said. 'She's rising six (years old) and we bought her as a yearling, you certainly get attached to them. 'She couldn't win a Group 1 race, but it was like winning one, getting $1m for her. We thought she was pretty valuable but to actually get that much was pretty amazing. 'All the owners were rapt with what she achieved. 'I don't think I'll get another horse like her, in 22 starts she never raced out of stakes grade, it's pretty hard to achieve that with something else.'
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Comeback mare Niance primed to strike in Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield
Group 3-winner Niance could be the beneficiary of a high-pressure Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) on Saturday at Caulfield. The Grahame Begg -trained mare, a six-time winner from 10 starts including Listed and Group 3 races last campaign, has drawn out but should land within striking distance behind the speed. The 1100m sprint is loaded with on-pace horses including Cleo Cat, Recommendation, Midwest, Fickle and Acromantula. 'She's got good gate speed, tactical speed herself,' Begg said. 'She doesn't have to lead to be able to win a race. 'Hopefully she'll get a nice sit on them and give herself every chance. 'She's ticked every box so far.' Niance is a $2.40 favourite from Cleo Cat ($5) and Recommendation ($8). 'It looks a nice race for her,' Begg said. 'A very competitive race, a pretty strong race for this time of year. 'I've seen other years gone by they haven't had full fields.' The 15-horse field on Saturday, following the withdrawal of Pisanello, is the biggest since 2020. Niance has primarily raced in fillies and mares restricted company to date but Begg said the five-year-old could 'take the next step'. 'We'll have to think about things after Saturday, what the right path to go with her,' Begg said. 'There's certainly races like the Monash and Bletchingly stakes … we'll study the programs, how they shape up and go from there. 'She won two stakes races last spring against the mares, so we certainly think highly of her and think she's certainly got the ability to take the next step.' Begg has Splash Back resuming on Saturday in a 1200m Benchmark 78. 'She's a nice mare, a pretty progressive horse,' Begg said. 'She's running at 1200m which will be interesting, it's short of her best distance but it's a nice start off point for her.'
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Jockey Anthony Darmanin chasing first mainland stakes win since 2019 in Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield
Winning Saturday's Listed Bel Esprit Stakes would be a good way to help jockey Anthony Darmanin comply with Victorian licence requirements. Victorian jockeys must ride in at least 24 races in the state each year to retain their licence, a condition Darmanin is working through with the aid of leading trainers Ben, JD and Will Hayes. Darmanin rides at all Tasmanian race meetings but lives in Melbourne where he rides work every day he is available at Lindsay Park's Flemington stable. 'They (the Hayes brothers) have been good to me,' Darmanin said. 'I have got to do my 24 Victorian rides to keep my licence in Victoria so I work for them every morning and they throw me a bone here and there, which is good of them. 'If good opportunities to get more come up, I'll take them but, I don't really push myself out there. 'Tassie is working really well for me so I just pretty much focus on Tasmania.' Darmanin said he was happy with his riding life at the moment despite jumping on a plane to cross Bass Strait a couple of times a week. Darmanin has ridden 63 winners in Tasmania at a 20 per cent strike rate, putting him 21 wins ahead of his nearest rival Kelvin Sanderson. Darmanin hit the heights of Australian racing as part of the Mystic Journey story, winning the Group 1 Australian Guineas as well as the inaugural All-Star Mile in March 2019. The jockey, who won the Launceston Cup in February, will chase his first stakes win on the mainland since the 2019 PB Lawrence Stakes in Saturday's Bel Esprit Stakes. Darmanin will ride Stuart Gandy -trained Geegees Gemstone in the $175,000 feature. The gelding is a $34 chance but Darmanin was keen to see how the winner of eight of 19 starts in Tasmania fared in a Melbourne contest. 'He's definitely got good ability but he's definitely a tricky horse to ride because he likes to think things always go his way,' Darmanin said. 'There's no races for him in Tassie so Stuart has decided to have a look to see if he's good enough to measure up in Melbourne. 'He won the (Tasmanian) Newmarket first-up last time in but after that, he wasn't going as well. 'Stuart says the horse, who has already landed in Melbourne, is really well so we're just hoping for a good showing. 'Saturday is obviously an unknown with this bloke but hopefully he can measure up.'
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Tom Dabernig to aim three mares at Saturday's Listed Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield
Tom Dabernig will tackle Saturday's Listed Bel Esprit Stakes with three runners in order to lay the foundation for a July ambush at Caulfield. The Warrnambool -based Dabernig will run smart mares Cleo Cat, Romantic Choice and Fickle in the Caulfield feature as part of a plan to have the trio hard-fit for Group 3 races in July. 'The theory is to have them in work all through winter and maybe have a crack at the Bletchingly or Monash, those sprints they have in July before the spring horses get fit,' Dabernig said. 'Often you get the spring horses in it that need the run and the fit winter horse can pick them up.' • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Dabernig has already secured valuable black type with Cleo Cat and Romantic Choice with the pair winning at Group 3 and Listed level respectively while Fickle will have her second start at stakes level on Saturday. As a winner of seven of her eight starts, Cleo Cat will lead Dabernig's Bel Esprit Stakes team. The four-year-old has returned in terrific form this time in, easily winning a three-horse race at Warrnambool before leading throughout to win the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes in Adelaide last time out. From Warrnambool to Morphettville, Cleo Cat pounces & makes it seven wins from eight career starts 😻 @dabernigracing @JChilds47 â€' (@Racing) May 10, 2025 • Group 1-winning trainer to hand in licence at season's end Cleo Cat's only defeat came in the Listed Black Pearl Stakes at Geelong in January. Dabernig said the four-year-old had excuses for that performance. 'Cleo Cat is clearly in great form at the moment. I would say Cleo Cat hasn't missed a beat since Adelaide,' Dabernig said. 'In the Geelong run, she was only beaten 1.4 (lengths) but it was 36 degrees and she pulled up with a bit of heat stress. 'That's the other theory why we brought her in through winter. We thought the cooler weather might suit her better.' Romantic Choice won the Black Pearl Stakes in January after a solid fifth in the Listed Christmas Stakes on the Caulfield Heath track last December. The four-year-old has finished midfield at both runs this time in but Dabernig said punters could forgive Romantic Choice's latest effort in the Listed Wangoom Handicap at Warrnambool on April 30. 'In the Wangoom, the track was a bit choppy and she drew barrier one and led on the rail but just couldn't get her rhythm right,' Dabernig said. 'She should appreciate Caulfield and the better surface or the more even track. 'I'd forgive her (for the Wangoom run) and she's a natural on-pacer.' Fickle will resume in the Bel Esprit Stakes after struggling at Listed level at The Valley before a spell. The speedy mare has pleased Dabernig with her recent trials, which convinced him to test her in Saturday's race. 'She's had three trials and ideally, I'd like to kick her off at 1000(m) but the black type over 1100m is worth a try for her, especially if she could place in it,' Dabernig said. Dabernig has booked Beau Mertens to ride Cleo Cat as her regular rider Jordan Childs will be in Brisbane while Harry Coffey and Declan Bates will ride Romantic Choice and Fickle respectively.
