Zac on G1 Winning Belle

The win of Te Akau trained Belle Cheval in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes on Saturday in Sydney continued a stunning run for jockey Zac Lloyd who has been on fire in the biggest races of late - including winning the Group 1 Golden Slipper on Guest House earlier in the month.

“To do it for Mark Walker (obtaining a Group One victory), a top New Zealand trainer, it’s very pleasing,” Lloyd said. “A big thanks to him for putting me on.

“My friend Wiremu Pinn, who lived with me for a bit when he was here, he let me know that she was coming over and I should try and get on her. So, thank you to Wiremu, I need to give him a bit of a manager's fee for that.

“They still had to choose me and luckily and thankfully for myself they did.

“Obviously she was stepping up to 2000m but the race panned out beautifully, they didn’t go an overly strong gallop which I didn’t want for her.

“She quickened very well and I’m very surprised to see the horse I pushed out at the top of the straight (After Summer - 2nd) come back and nearly beat me because she quickened very well away from it.

“She showed a bit of fight, normally she’s known for her dazzling turn of foot whereas today she built and showed a bit of fight. She’s a good mare and it was a tenacious win by her.”

Bred by prominent racing identity David Archer, Belle Cheval is a half-sister to his former three-time Group One winner Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), and he races the filly in partnership with his partner Diane Wright and children Simon Archer and Natalie Micarone.

Belle Cheval has now won four and placed in three of her seven starts to date and accrued more than AUS$1.212 million in prizemoney.