Out of the fire into the frying pan for talented Queensland filly

Ben Dorries - Thursday August 24

Stuart Kendrick wouldn't be shocked if his talented filly Italia Bella wins on resuming but is worried she may get too far back over 1100m at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Advertisement
Italia Bella was evacuated away from the Sunshine Coast bushfire last week but
Stuart Kendrick's promising filly resumes at the Gold Coast on Saturday

The Sunshine Coast trainer has such a high opinion of the Fastnet Rock filly he has thrown in nominations for the Group I Thousand Guineas at Caulfield and the Group I Golden Rose at Rosehill.

Italia Bella is still a maiden but her three starts have all been in Listed company, most recently running second in The Phoenix at Doomben on June 3.

Sportsbet has her at $4.60 for the QTIS 3YO Handicap on the Gold Coast on Saturday in a market headed by Kelly Schweida's recent Randwick winner and Golden Rose aspirant Shogun Sun ($3.60).

Italia Bella was one of the horses who had to be evacuated from Kendrick's Sunshine Coast stables last Saturday when a bushfire raged close by.

The move was mainly for precautionary reasons – and so smoke inhalation did not become a problem for the horses.

Kendrick says Italia Bella performed well in a recent jumpout but he admits he is concerned the 1100m will be too short on the tight Gold Coast circuit.

"She has come along well after the Queensland winter carnival but I am concerned about the Gold Coast 1100m, because she is a big striding filly and a big gangly thing," Kendrick said.

"I would have loved her over more distance on a bigger track but she has to kick off somewhere.

"I think 1400m-1600m is probably her ideal distance, so she will probably be chasing a fair way out on Saturday.

"Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if she won because she has got a lot of natural ability.

"It's just that she will be better suited over further on a bigger track."

Group I winning jockey Damian Browne will ride on Saturday and Kendrick says he has lofty ambitions for the filly.

"This filly has shown me heaps and I would love to see her end up in a race like the Thousand Guineas," he said.

"She has got plenty of length and a massive big stride so a race like that could potentially be nice for her."

Kendrick indicated another promising three year-old filly, Marseille En Fleur, was back in work and could trial next week on the Sunshine Coast.

Marseille En Fleur, who won her first two starts in Queensland earlier this year and ran second in the Listed Winning Edge at Doomben, has also been nominated for the Thousand Guineas.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Divine Prophet’s Fortunate Kiss Captures Elusive Black Type Win
With nine top five finishes in previous black type races, it was better late than never as 6yo Divine Prophet mare Fortunate Kiss charged along the inside to win the $300,000 Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday – her first black type victory.
Snitzel Filly Bridal Waltz Wins A.R. Creswick Stakes
While many felt the winner of Saturday’s Listed $175,000 VRC A.R. Creswick Stakes (1200m) had raced two weeks prior in the Shop Flemington Handicap (1100m) – and they would’ve been correct – but it was not the result many punters felt it would be!
Kiwi Bred Good Banter Finds Winning Form
Four-year-old mare Good Banter was back in the winner’s circle when narrowly prevailing in the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday for trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
Marble Nine Brings Up Second SW For Aquis Sire Kobayashi
The withdrawal of the top weight in Saturday’s $175,000 Listed VRC Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington saw the field down to just six, with Marble Nine continuing his outstanding recent form to secure his first black type victory.
Buccleuch - First Stakes-Winner for Peltzer
The $175,000 Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday was won back in 2020 by Cherry Tortoni, who went to on to become a multiple Group winner of nearly $1million and the same colours were carried by this year’s winner Buccleuch.
Sires With Winners - Saturday July 5
Here is the full list of 112 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sweet Redemption for Stable Favourite Jimmy the Bear
Patrick and Michelle Payne enjoyed a red letter day at Flemington on Saturday with their rising star Buccleuch winning the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final and then later in the day stable favourite Jimmy the Bear won the Listed VRC Winter Championship Series Final (1600m).
Flemington Victory for Tarzino Mare
Quirky but talented mare Miss Tarzy has come from last win the Leilani Series Final (1400m) under a patient Jett Stanley ride.
Invincible 3YO Wins G3 Winx Guineas
The $300,000 Group III Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday featured a big field of 16 up and comers and following the late scratching of favourite Mister Bianco, Angela Jones took luck out of the equation on I Am Invincible gelding The Three Hundred.
Pride’s Outsider Estadio Mestalla Wins Winter Stakes
The lone stakes race on Rosehill’s ten-race card on Saturday saw Joe Pride’s race outsider Estadio Mestalla (Galileo Gold) take out the $200,000 Listed ATC Winter Stakes (1400m) in a boilover.