Hellbent Filly Wins Listed Bill Carter

Tara Madgwick - Saturday May 24

The $160,000 Listed BRC Bill Carter Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday had a short priced favourite in Hellbent filly Sunrays and she gave punters no cause for concern when powering clear for a dominant victory.

Trained by Kelly Schweida, Sunrays won her first three starts in a row at Doomben before tasting defeat for the first time when a distant second to Beadman in the Group III Ken Russell Memorial Classic run in atrocious conditions at the Gold Coast.

Back to familiar footing on Saturday and pitted against a strong field of up and coming fillies, Sunrays gave Tommy Berry an easy steer. She settled back in the field and forged away to win by two lengths over the Chris Waller trained Snitzel filly Chatterley.

“I said to Kelly and the ownership group before the race, I didn't know where I was going to be because it's very unpredictable with these lightly raced fillies stepping up in class,” said Tommy Berry.

“I thought I'd be fourth at worst, but the speed was really on for that first two furlongs.

“She's very versatile and she's got a great turn of foot and was just a different horse on this ground today.

“She's a bomb-proof sort of filly. She's very adaptable, and she put them to the sword quite quickly and still had a bit of a stargaze when she got to the front, so she's got more improvement left to come.”

Sunrays has won four of five starts earning over $270,000 and might have another run this prep to come.

Advertisement

“It was arrogant really at the finish. She got back a bit further than I thought she might, but you know, she looked like she was smoking and they were hooking along early, so you knew that she was going to be strong late,” said Kelly Schweida, who is yet to decide on what comes next for Sunrays.

“I'm not sure. We thought about the Sires (G2 May 31), but it was too close and then there is the Listed Show a Heart in a fortnight or do we pay a late nomination for the JJ Atkins, but I’ll talk to Pete (Moran, her owner/ breeder) see what he wants to do as he didn't want to do a lot this prep with her because she's done most of it from being broken in, so she's done a good job.”

Sunrays is a new stakes-winner for Hellbent.

Not offered at auction, Sunrays was retained to race by her breeder Peter Moran and comes from a family that has enjoyed much success racing in his green and white colours.

She is the first living foal of Hiccups, an unraced Fastnet Rock grand-daughter of Moran’s million dollar earning multiple Group II winner Staging, who was by Success Express (USA), a stallion that spent a portion of his long and many storied stud career at the former Moran owned Noble Park Stud in Queensland.

Not only an elite racemare, Staging was a remarkable producer leaving Group I winners Excites and Duporth as well as Group II winner Tickets and she was also the grand-dam of Champion South African 2YO Colt and dual Group I winning sprinter Delago Deluxe.

Hiccups produced a colt last spring by Written By and appears to be in foal to King’s Legacy.

Sunrays is the seventh stakes-winner for Hellbent, who is priced at $38,500 at Yarraman Park.

Advertisment

Race Result - Drinkwise Bill Carter Stakes LR 1350m

Doomben Track: Soft(5) Time: 1:21.16
1
Sunrays
- 2f Hellbent (AUS) x Hiccups (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: K M Schweida Rdr: Tommy Berry 56.5
Hellbent
2
2
Chatterley
- 2f Snitzel (AUS) x Forbidden (AUS) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: J B Mc Donald 56.5
3
2.5
Don'tdoubthelady
- 2f Dubious (AUS) x Teeka (AUS) (Toronado (IRE))
Tnr: Clinton Taylor Rdr: Justin P Stanley 56.5
4
2.8
Ha'penny Hatch
- 2f Circus Maximus (IRE) x Emily Margaret (NZ) (Pins (AUS))
Tnr: P L Shailer Rdr: Damien Thornton 56.5
5
3.1
Koolatah Queen
- 2f Hellbent (AUS) x Killer Queen (AUS) (Not A Single Doubt (AUS))
Tnr: Chris Anderson Rdr: N Callow 56.5
6
3.5
Highgrove Rose
- 2f King's Legacy (AUS) x Chintz (NZ) (Savabeel (AUS))
Tnr: Jack Bruce Rdr: Rachel King 56.5
7
3.6
On Point Pixie
- 2f Heroic Valour (AUS) x Germayne Lass (AUS) (Stromberg Carlson (AUS))
Tnr: P L Shailer Rdr: K Mc Evoy 56.5
8
3.7
Carbonara
- 2f Star Turn (AUS) x Alle Vongole (AUS) (Falvelon (AUS))
Tnr: R L Heathcote Rdr: Tim Clark 56.5
9
6.2
Sweet Pretender
- 2f Zousain (AUS) x Onya Boss (AUS) (Street Boss (USA))
Tnr: William Kropp Rdr: R Dolan 56.5
10
18
Moon Jewel
- 2f Lonhro (AUS) x Zegota (AUS) (All Too Hard (AUS))
Tnr: D L Freedman Rdr: Ethan Brown 56.5
More Reading...
Wootton Bassett Colt Leads Coolmore G1 Trifecta
The last British Group I race of the flat season was run overnight at Doncaster with Aidan O’Brien producing a trifecta of two year-old colts led by a son of the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in Hawk Mountain, who was too good for a pair of Frankel colts.
Hellbent's Sunrays Shines With Consecutive Stakes Wins
Saturday’s opening race at Eagle Farm, the Listed $160,000 BRC Show A Heart Stakes (1500m) saw Kelly Schweida’s talented Hellbent filly Sunrays record her second black type victory.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..
One to Watch – Doomben
A Hellbent two year-old filly from a famous female family made a winning debut at Doomben on Wednesday as a short priced favourite.
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.