Burgundy Belle Bombs Them

Beautifully bred filly Burgundy Belle (3 f Burgundy - Spin ‘N Grin, by Spinning World) had no trouble dispatching her rivals with an impressive debut victory in the $10,000 Nulook Aluminium Maiden 3YO 1100 metres on 6 December at New Plymouth.

Sire Burgundy (Redoute's Choice) won five stakes' races and finished third in the Telegraph (Gr. 1, 1200m), while dam Spin ‘N Grin was also a very smart performer, winning the Eight Carat Classic (Gr. 2, 1600m) and finishing second in the New Zealand Breeders' Stakes (Gr. 1, 1600m).

Handily placed throughout from barrier two, Burgundy Belle travelled up ominously at the 400m and she romped away under Shafiq in the straight to win easing down by five and a half lengths.

On footing downgraded to Slow9, Burgundy Belle was all the rage in betting and returned $1.90 to win.

“She was very impressive and it's really good to get a win for John (Galvin) and the Fortuna team,” said recently appointed racing manager Libby Richards, who forewent her senior banking position to join Te Akau Racing.

“She's a bit of a favourite at home and we hope to see her, maybe, in a stakes race in the next few months.

“It's a great change, a big change from the bank. We have a great team of staff at home and I'm really enjoying it,” she added.

In training for the Fortuna Burgundy Belle Syndicate (Mgr: John Galvin), she is a filly in which Te Akau principal David Ellis had a very strong hand in producing.

“I bought Spin ‘N Grin as a yearling for $65,000 out of the Premier Sale at Karaka, and Mark (Walker) trained her for Tom and Sue Roper,” Ellis said.

“I took her over to breed from and Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) and I actually bred this filly. We sold her at the sales to John Galvin and she looks like another stakes quality filly like Windborne and Darci's Dream that I bred and John's Fortuna Syndicate owners have raced.

“This filly is the fifth individual winner from Spin ‘N Grin and we've got a really classy Burgundy yearling colt at home from the mare that we've kept to race, and she's back in foal to Darci Brahma.

“I also bought Burgundy from the Pencarrow draft at Karaka, and he's doing a fantastic job as a young stallion. He's had the (New Zealand Bloodstock) Filly of the Year, Dijon Bleu, and even though his first three two-year-olds to race all won, he never raced as a two-year-old himself and most of his horses aren't precocious types. They're more the types to keep developing as nice three and four year olds and they do benefit with time. They're pretty good horses and the ones we've got we're very happy with.”

Burgundy was leading Second Season Sire in New Zealand, producing both two and three year old group winners and his yearlings have averaged 16 times the 2015 service fee.

“It was the second winner in a row for Jamie (Richards), after he won with his only runner (Pacific Coast) yesterday at Pukekohe, and he's absolutely on fire,” Ellis said.

“It's pretty obvious to everyone I speak to, who acknowledge just what a success he's making of it all and he has an amazing team working with him. Burgundy Belle is a classic example of a filly that has needed a bit of time, which he's given her, and she could go to some nice stakes' races over Christmas.

“It was also great to see Suppy (Shafiq) get a winner on his first day back riding after being injured last month. He's such a talented rider and it's always good to see him in winning form.”

Trainer Jamie Richards said: “She's a progressive sort of filly and it was a nice win. She had trialled well and really gone to another level since we put the blinkers on at home, and she didn't mind a bit of rain about. I always get a big thrill out of winning a race for John (Galvin) and his owners, especially one that Dave and Karyn bred at home on the farm”.

Burgundy Belle was strapped by Meg Lambert.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz