Bellas Delight claimed her second straight Vicbred Super Series title on Friday night at Melton
Bellas Delight scored her 11th win from 26 starts and her fifth victory in succession on Friday night, taking out the Group 1 Empire Stallions Super Series Four-Year-Old Mares Final at Melton’s Tabcorp Park.
The Paul and Kari Males-trained reigning Victorian Filly of the Year became a three-time top-level winner, defeating South Australian Repelem in a driving finish after sitting in the breeze for the final lap.
The four-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight clocked a 1:57.8 mile rate and came home in 28.6 as she simply outclassed her rivals.
Winning trainer Kari Males was thrilled with the performance of her stable star and heaped praise on driver Greg Sugars.
“She just doesn’t know when to give up, she’s fantastic. And Greg was sensational. He knew the horse and drove it really well,” Males said.
Going into the race, Males said she had been confident despite a back-row draw. “I wasn’t too worried about the draw because I felt we had the best horse in the race,” she said.
“She’s just such a competitor. Everything she does she wants to be in front.”
Repelem improved vastly on her last-start failure to finish second for SA driver Ryan Hryhorec, while Shakchloe ran third after saving ground on the inside and securing a sprint lane run in the straight for Rebecca Bartley.
The disappointment of the race was Jayne Davies-trained Aussie Made Lombo, with the former superstar juvenile off the bit and struggling a long way from home before winding up second-last for driver Chris Alford.
Males said Bellas Delight would now have a freshen-up before contesting the Breeders Crown series later this year.
In the race prior to Bellas Delight’s success, Bacchus Marsh trainer-driver Amy Tubbs enjoyed Group 1 glory with Brunelleschi in the Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series Three-Year-Old Trotters Final.
Despite sitting three-wide for the last lap, Tubbs and Brunelleschi shot to the front at the top of the home straight to score a strong win over outsider El Paco, who benefited from a tip-top drive by in-form reinsman Nathan Jack, with Waikare Patricia finishing third for Grant Campbell.
Tubbs’ mother Kate, who owns the daughter of Tennotrump, described the performance as “absolutely brilliant”.
“When I got up this morning I saw the trophy sitting on top of the fireplace and I realised then it wasn’t just a dream,” she said.
Tubbs gave a celebratory salute crossing the line, clearly delighted with the victory. Race favourite Shes An Image was under pressure before the straight and could only manage fifth.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old veteran Mister Douglas was described as “like a fine red wine” by trainer Joanne Justice after his win in the SEW-Eurodrive Claiming Pace with John Justice in the gig.
At start No. 210, Mister Douglas came with a rattling run in the home straight to score the 29th victory of his long and illustrious career. The win was Mister Douglas’s seventh triumph this season.
“He shouldn’t have won last night,” trainer Justice said. “He was just too far back. Every week I think this could be his last race, but he just keeps on surprising me.”
Justice is not only a part-owner and trainer of Mister Douglas, she bred the horse many moons ago. While his career has been fruitful, Justice revealed Mister Douglas’s journey hasn’t been all smooth sailing.
“As an eight-year-old I was told he’d never race again,” she said. “He bowed a tendon and then he bowed the other one. But I walked him and swam him and he’s just gotten better and better.”
Nowadays Justice says Mister Douglas is on “the old folks’ training regime”, which means a canter on the Tuesday if he’s racing that week.
John Justice was over the moon with Mister Douglas’s triumph, adding “he’s rarely run a bad race for me”.
The old boy will go out for a break now before returning to contest the King of the Claimers series.