Bellas Delight wins the 2011 Group 1 Vicbred 3YO Fillies Final
A freakishly dominant death seat display has seen teak tough Bolinda filly Bellas Delight take out tonight’s Group 1 2Construct Vicbred Super Series Final for three-year-old girls at Tabcorp Park.
Deemed to be drawn best of the big guns in gate four approaching the $100,000 classic feature, Kari Males’ outstanding daughter of Bettors Delight ultimately endured the hardest run in the race, but with the will to win of a superstar on the rise, triumphed nonetheless.
And in doing so, led her justifiably ebullient conditioner to wax lyrical about the star young pacer’s great intestinal fortitude and rapid recent growth.
“We were obviously confident after her semi-final win last week and she’s just tough as nails this filly,” Males said.
“In the back of our minds we always felt she’d end up having to do it tough up there but she’s the complete racehorse now and we just couldn’t be prouder of what she’s achieved.”
Only moderate off the mobile arm from her good gate early, Bellas Delight was caught three deep but with cover through the early part of the race with Peter Manning’s polemarker Milliara Lombo resisting all challengers to hold the top through a lead-in split of 45.3.
With gun young pilot Greg Sugars in the van for the very first time, courtesy of regular reinswoman Jodi Quinlan’s responsibility to her own pacer Aalyah Rose, Bellas Delight followed Aussie Made Lombo to the front of affairs through a opening cut of 31.6 before finding her favourite position in the breeze.
Forced to work overtime in that role as Chris Alford looked to unleash the shackles aboard Aussie Made Lombo through a following fraction of 30 seconds flat, Males’ flying filly looked vulnerable to both the race leader and those getting the gun runs in behind.
When the leading division broke up the field in a 28.2-seond penultimate quarter, it was clear the filly part-owned by prominent harness media personality and post-race interviewer Rob Auber would need to be seriously superior to her rivals to win.
Soon after straightening for home, it was abundantly clear she was. First overwhelming her Group 1-winning rival in the lead before resisting the big finishers late, Sugars punched Bellas Delight out late to claim her first elite race by 2m from Awaywiththefairies with Aussie Made Lombo a head away in third.
The 29.1-second final fraction completed a race record 1:57.9 mile rate and immediately preceded wild and wonderful scenes of celebration at Victorian harness headquarters.
“It certainly was noisy in the stands,” Males laughed. “I’ll look forward to watching the replay back with Rob (Auber) congratulating himself up there.”
“He’s just a fantastic owner though, he raced this one’s mother too and he’s very passionate, all the owners are, and it’s great to enjoy this moment with them all.”
