Saturday’s NZ Horse Ambulance Winter Appeal 3YO (1000m) continued the Te Akau stranglehold over the three-year-old spring opener at Riccarton, but not with the horse that most expected.
Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson took out the $40,000 age-group sprint in 2023 with the next-start Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) winner Viva Vienna, then saddled the quinella in 2024 with The Victress and About Last Night. The Te Akau team followed that up with another one-two finish on Saturday.
Pre-race attention was dominated by the $2.30 favourite Cool Aza Rene, who won four of her five starts as a two-year-old last season and had a perfect three-from-three record in the South Island.
A somewhat overlooked second favourite was her stablemate Belle Du Monde, whose three juvenile appearances produced two second placings and a last-start 12th in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) in January.
Saturday’s race was Belle Du Monde’s first raceday appearance in 217 days, and the daughter of reigning champion Australian sire Zoustar took a big step forward in the hands of jockey Vinnie Colgan.
Cool Aza Rene and rider Opie Bosson enjoyed a comfortable and uncontested lead up to the home turn, then kicked in the straight and looked hard to catch.
But Belle Du Monde was moving through her gears in her stablemate’s slipstream, then switched to her outside with 200m to run. Belle Du Monde quickened smartly and finished over the top of Cool Aza Rene to snatch victory by a half-neck. Miss Ziggy crossed the line in third place, a length and a half behind the first pair. The race was run in 58.88 seconds on a Soft6 track.
The TAB responded to Saturday’s win by cutting Belle Du Monde from $21 into $14 for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in November. Tajana remains the clear favourite at $5, with To Cap It All the $10 second choice. In Haste, Little Black Dress and Saturday’s Listed Wanganui Guineas (1200m) winner Platinum Diamond are the equal third favourites at $12.
Belle Du Monde’s likely next step along the road to that Riccarton classic is the Canterbury Belle Stakes on September 13 – a race the Te Akau stable has previously won with Shikoba (2005), Darci’s Dream (2014), Windborne (2015), One Kiss (2022) and Viva Vienna (2023).
“Vinnie gave Belle Du Monde a really good ride today and she will have learned a lot from that,” Bergerson said. “She followed her stablemate and got the split at the right time. The way she attacked the line gave us some really positive signs as we head towards the Canterbury Belle Stakes.
“We think she’s improved a lot from her two-year-old season. We’ve always known that she’s talented, and she’s shown us plenty at home. But she has a really big frame. The two stablemates are very different in that regard – Cool Aza Rene is short and compact, while Belle Du Monde is big and scopey. We always thought she’d get better with time.
“This is really exciting for the ownership group. She’s a lovely filly. She still has a few quirks and things to learn, so we think we’ve got a lot to look forward to. Hopefully she’ll come through this well and we can crack on to some black type, where increasing distances should suit her.”
Belle Du Monde was offered by Kaha Nui Farm in Book 1 of Karaka 2024, where David Ellis bought her for $400,000. She has now had four starts for a win and two placings, earning $54,625 for the Te Akau Love de Cartier Racing Partnership.
She was a successful pinhook having been sourced from the Tyreel Stud draft at the Inglis Weanling Sale for $220,000 by Kaha Nui Farm.
Belle Du Monde was bred by Wallings Bloodstock and is the third winner from four foals to race from Lady Cartier, a winning half-sister by Fastnet Rock to Group III winner Rustic Steel with her third dam being blue hen Shantha's Choice, the dam of Group I winners Redoute's Choice, Manhattan Rai and Platinum Scissors.
– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
