When Exhilarates won the Magic Millions 2yo Classic in January, she propelled her sire Snitzel to the top of the juvenile standings, which comes under challenge by a quartet of gifted runners by his closest pursuer I Am Invincible in Saturday’s $1,500,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
You could spend hours agonising over the form of the race that looks the most even in years.
Snitzel has just one chance of repelling the I Am Invincible army, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustice-trained Bella Rosa, which at $26, I feel has a good chance of turning the tables on her better-fancied stablemate Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible).
The pair met in the Group III Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield on February 2, where Loving Gaby made the best possible start to her career when coming from near last to defeat Bella Rosa by a half-length. When Loving Gaby sprinted past Bella Rosa the daughter of Snitzel seemed to rally and looked to be travelling as good as the winner at the finish and meets her on 2kg better terms.
A gorgeous yearling, Bella Rosa (pictured as a yearling ) was a $575,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Segenhoe Stud draft for Ciaron Maher Bloodstock and runs for a syndicate that includes Halo Racing Services with Segenhoe Stud also retaining a share.
She descends from a family that has knocked up winning stakes races in Australia and New Zealand.
It traces back to Sovereign Edition’s sister Royal News (IRE) whose daughters Betty Box (IRE), Engagement (IRE) and Life At Last (IRE) all set up dynasty’s of their own.
Those three were all daughters of Habitat’s half-brother Northfields.
Bella Rosa descends from Life At Last (IRE) the dam of Group II winner Full At Last and the dams of stakes-winners Chuckle, Bleveeka, Life’s A Bounty and Miss Prospect who is the dam of the millionaire Consular and Reward For Effort who won the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes ten years ago.
To a mating with Christmas Tree, Life At Last left the winner Final Claus who produced the Group II Maribyrnong Plate and Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Catnipped (Rory’s Jester) as well as the stakes-placed Royal Academy (USA) mare Finishing School who in turn produced Bella Rosa’s dam, Swiss Rose.
Purchased out of the Windsor Park draft by Heinrich Bloodstock for $70,000 at the 2008 NZB Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka, Swiss Rose came from the second crop of Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Thorn Park.
She went on to win the Listed BRC Mode Stakes and placed a further three times at stakes level. Swiss Rose was consigned to the 2011 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale where she purchased by Segenhoe Stud for $300,000.
Her first two live foals, Fabvier (Fastnet Rock) and The Mighty Fed (All Too Hard) are multiple winners but her third foal, Bella Rosa took it to another level when she braved the driving rain to win the Group III VRC Bumble (Ottawa) Stakes (1000m) when making her debut on Melbourne Cup day in November last year. (photo top by Grant Courtney)
Her Chairman’s Stakes second was her first start in 12 weeks and we will put our faith in Linda Meech to give the Snitzel filly every chance from barrier 10.
Swiss Rose has a yearling Medaglia d’Oro (USA) colt that was withdrawn from this year’s Magic Millions, and a filly foal by the former Darley shuttler. She was covered by Widden Stud’s highflying Zoustar last spring.
