Snitzel & Not A Single Doubt book-end Melbourne Cup Day
Bella Rosa (royal blue & lime silks) becomes Snitzel's 33rd 2YO winner in the VRC Ottawa S. G3 on Melbourne Cup Day. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
Group race victories by a Snitzel 2YO and a 7YO daughter of Not A Single Doubt book-ended the 2018 Melbourne Cup Day in challenging conditions at Flemington.
The 11 juveniles – seven on debut – that lined up in the $150,000 VRC Ottawa S. 1000m G3 showed great professionalism and determination in the face of a large Cup Day crowd and the heavy rain that swept across the course before midday.
“She looks forward enough to be competitive here”, was Racing.com broadcaster Jayne Ivil’s comment on Pick of the Yard Bella Rosa (Snitzel-Swiss Rose by Thorn Park) and so it proved.
Settled just behind the early leaders, the filly responded gamely to pressure at the top of the straight and showed plenty of fight in a hard drive to the line, holding out Lankan Star and the favourite Champagne Boom, already a Listed winner.
Bella Rosa handles the conditions best on debut and takes out the @Bumble Stakes. https://t.co/nreJ0FYjqF pic.twitter.com/xxWnBQOnaI
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 5, 2018
Bred and offered by Segenhoe Thoroughbreds, which retains a share in her ownership, Bella Rosa was a $575,000 buy for co-trainer Ciaron Maher from the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale. She is the third winner and first stakeswinner left by Listed winner Swiss Rose, herself a half-sister to the very precocious dual New Zealand Group winner Prom Queen.
Bella Rosa is the 85th lifetime stakeswinner and 33rd juvenile stakeswinner by two-time Champion Sire Snitzel who holds a clear lead on the current Australian General Sires’ Premiership.
Arrowfield sires have supplied both of the juvenile Group race successes achieved this Spring by the Maher & Eustace team, which also prepares ATC Arrowfield Breeders’ Plate G3 winner Dubious (by Not A Single Doubt).
Cool Passion (Not A Single Doubt-Hiavanna by Mister C) has taken a rather longer path to Group-winning status. She was bred and initially raced by Perth-based Michael & Jill MacDermott, made her debut as a 4YO and won eight of her first 15 starts before agent and pedigree analyst Jane Henning negotiated her sale to John & Anne McDonnell.
Racing from the Tony McEvoy stable, Cool Passion won the MRC Northwood Plume S. G3 in October 2017 and has now added the $200,000 VRC Maybe Mahal S. 1400m G3 to her record.
Tony McEvoy acknowledged the McDonnells’ willingness to give Cool Passion another year of racing before sending her to stud. “They just trusted me and gave the mare another chance and I’m so pleased for them.
“She’s a really good mare, this mare and you’ll probably see her in a race like the [Robert Sangster] in the Autumn in Adelaide…I think the 1400 was the key…she controlled the race and had a great kick.”
Watch Cool Passion win the VRC Maybe Mahal S. G3.
Cool Passion is Not A Single Doubt’s 5th stakeswinner this season, matching his performance at the same stage of 2017/18.
The Gerald Ryan-trained 3YO colt Legend Of Condor provided Not A Single Doubt with the other half of a Cup Day double when he scored a valuable second career win in the Flemington Fling over 1000 metres.
