Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday May 18

The Nick Olive-trained Sizzling Belle will be given her chance to credit first season stallion Sizzling with his first stakes-winner in Saturday’s Listed Bill Carter Stakes (1200m) at Doomben.

On the go since winning a maiden at Wagga Wagga on January 12, Sizzling Belle was a luckless eighth in last Saturday’s Group II Champagne Classic won by Zousain.

The daughter of Sizzling (pictured ) looked to have plenty to offer when she was bailed up behind tiring runners.

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That was her first start since finishing just over four lengths behind the winner Estijaab when unplaced in the Golden Slipper.


A brave second in the Group III Black Opal Stakes in Canberra, Sizzling Belle was $50,000 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale purchase for her trainer from the Element Hill draft.

She is the third winner from stakes-placed Magic Albert mare Greenmount Belle who is a distant relative to a former ‘Best On Breeding’, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt Santos.

The connection comes through Santos’s great granddam Lady Upstage (GB) who is the dam of the exceptionally gifted Shaftsbury Avenue.

Lady Upstage (GB) is a half-sister to Khalekan (GB) who placed in the Dewhurst Stakes and Observer Gold Cup at two before winning the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood and was runner-up in the Irish St Leger.

Imported to Australia by the champion jockey Des Lake, Khalekan (GB) won the 1968 STC HE Tancred Cup.

But many years before Lady Upstage (GB) and Khalekan (GB) found their way to Australia, the monumentally successful breeder, Stanley Wooten had imported their half-sister named Widden.

A daughter of the Epsom Derby winner Nimbus, Widden was lightly raced but she placed in the Group III Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket.

Widden did not leave a thriving dynasty. All of her seven foals made it to the track and four were winners.

One of them was the Randwick winner Louicette who had just two winners from six named foals.

The best of them was the stakes-placed Vain mare Delfina who is the dam of the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate runner-up Isn’t She Gorgeous (Biscay).

Louicette’s half-sister Noonabelle (Red Anchor) was unraced although she did leave four winners from her five to race including Sizzling Belle’s dam Greenmount Belle.

Purchased for a mere $10,000 by Prime Thoroughbred’s Joe O’Neil, Greenmount Belle proved a more than useful performer in Tasmania winning eight races and was twice stakes-placed.

Sent to the 2010 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale, Greenmount Belle was purchased by Glenn Burroughs for $30,000.

The daughter of Magic Albert has Love Conquers All colt heading to the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

He cost just $1,000 as a weanling so the consignors Waylon J Stud will be cheering as loudly as Sizzling Belle’s connections on Saturday.

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