While her connections sent her to Australia for the short sprints at 1000-1100m, she has been so impressive winning her last three starts they will now give her a shot at the Coolmore Stud Stakes over 1200m down the straight at Flemington.
The Coolmore is one of the jewels in the crown of Australian 3-year-old racing, winning it guaranteeing any colt a stallion career. It was not a race set up to be won by $80,000 fillies purchased in New Zealand.
While Bellatrix Star is absolutely flying there are some wonderful sprinting 3-year-olds in Australia so she might need to go to an even higher level to be competitive in the Coolmore.
Still, she is in Melbourne and in form whereas some of the big-name Australian 3-year-olds have to get through what could be a brutal 1200m against the older horses in the A$20 million Everest in Sydney this Saturday.
Bellatrix Star won’t be the only Kiwi girl who can win on Derby Day as Orchestral heads there for the A$1 million Empire Rose after a luckless run in the Toorak at Caulfield on Saturday.
The NZ Derby winner got trapped back on the inside in a 1600m race which was turned on its head when Blake Shinn pulled off a tactical masterclass by exploding clear on Antino at the 600m leaving his rivals struggling.
When Orchestral got clear she surged late and was strong through the line, pleasing trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood.
“She just had no luck and we can’t wait to get her to the big track at Flemington,” said James.
“She trotted up well this morning (Sunday) so she has come through the run well.” Her trainers will now have to wait to see if champion jockey James McDonald can ride Orchestral in the Empire Rose as Derby Day also clashes with running of the A$10m Golden Eagle in Sydney.
NZ Cup favourite still in doubt
The fate of Leap To Fame’s assault on the $1m IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup should be known by the end of the week.
The superstar Australian pacer has been the long-time hot favourite of the Cup at Addington on November 12 but his trip has been thrown into doubt after he was scratched from Saturday night’s Victoria Cup at Melton.
Leap To Fame was found to have a virus on Friday morning but improved over the weekend and trainer Grant Dixon will conduct more blood tests today.
“He is getting better every day and if that continues then we can still get there,” says Dixon.
“I would need to have him back hoppling (working at speed) by the weekend.
“If he is going to be fit enough to win the Cup he is going to need at least one more start and that would have to be at Menangle [Sydney] on October 26.
“If he can do that and stays healthy we will more than likely go but I’d say he is 50-50 at best to make the trip now.”
Leap To Fame’s setback has thrown the NZ Cup market into a holding pattern, with Merlin now the $2.50 equal favourite with the Australian and Don’t Stop Dreaming at $3.20.
Defending NZ Cup champion Swayzee won the Victoria Cup but won’t return to Addington, staying home to chase a A$1m bonus for winning five country cups in New South Wales.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s racing editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
