Stepping up to open company is always a tough task, but 3yo Snitzel filly Bridal Waltz graduated from a last start Listed win over her own age to win the $200,000 Group 3 MRC Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
With news of the late scratching of the short priced favourite Baraqiel about an hour prior to the commencement of the Bletchingley, a market reshuffle saw six of the remaining eight runners all start under double figure odds with the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman trained Bridal Waltz jumping the race favourite.
Under jockey Ben Melham, Bridal Waltz went forward to sit in second position, travelling on the outside of last year’s winner Recommendation (Shalaa) who held the rail position for jockey John Allen.
As Recommendation came off the rails and increased the tempo as the field turnd into the home straight, Melham was starting to urge Bridal Waltz along with the filly hitting her straps at the 200m mark where she knuckled down strongly to chase down the leader.
With 100m to go, Bridal Waltz had the lead, and although the Lindsey Smith trained Yellow Sam (Ready For Victory) was making a concerted effort along the inside, it was to no avail.
Charging late and going down narrowly in what would have been a fairytale result for James Cummings, the Godolphin bred and raced Kin (Impending) came from well back in the field to be beaten a narrow margin by Bridal Waltz into second.
Becoming the only trainer to win the Bletchingly Stakes on three occasions, Moody feels there is no reason Bridal Waltz can’t step up again and compete at a higher level.
“I was very pleased with where she was in the run, Recommendation took her to the right part of the track and carted her well up to the straight,” Moody said.
“As we’ve seen, she can make all if she needs to, but it’s hard when you’re off the fence. Good tough effort.
“Congratulations to Des Pope and his family, they bred this filly, and they’ve retained her, and now she’s made herself a valuable little girl.
“She’s a multiple Stakes winner and Stakes placed, well deserved I think.”
While the next week or so will determine if Bridal Waltz heads for a spell or continues her campaign, no matter what the short term holds for her, it is clear that connections have themselves a valuable, and exciting commodity.
“I’ve thought for the last two runs, she probably goes for a spell, but we’ll probably take her home and rinse and repeat,” Moody said.
“We’ll give her a week down at the beach… it’d be nice to lift the bar a little bit, do we find a mares' G2 or something like that, now we’re a G3 winner?
“Or we have a few weeks off and come back at Flemington in November and chase a little Stakes race there away from the A-Graders.
“But you never know – she might become an A-Grader one day, the way she’s going.”
One of 161 stakes winners by Arrowfield Stud’s four-time Champion Sire Snitzel, Bridal Waltz was bred, and is raced by Pope Racing, with the victory taking her record to five wins and three placed efforts from 12 starts with over $470,000 in earnings.
Bridal Waltz is the second winner and second stakes winner out of the Lonhro mare Charleston Dancer, herself a half-sister to the Listed winner Chloe In Paris (dam of Listed winner Bold Bastille), Listed winner Ideas Man and also to the to the dam of Listed winner Larimer Street.
From the family of Group 2 winner Innovation Girl, successful in the Ascot Vale Stakes (now Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes), Bridal Waltz is a half-sister to Street Boss’ She Dances who was trained by the Moody/Coleman stable to success in the Group 3 Northwood Plume Stakes.
The current 2yo out of Charleston Dancer is a full sister to Bridal Waltz named Eyes Of Blue (Snitzel) in the same stable, while the current yearling is a full-sister to She Dances and the mare is currently in foal to Darley’s Anamoe.
