Photo: Race Images
It was a case of second time’s a charm for Belclare (Per Incanto) at Magic Millions’ Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, with the dual Group One winner selling for A$700,000 on Tuesday.
After a pleasing career in New Zealand, where she won 11 of her 36 starts for trainer Lisa Latta, including two editions of the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), owner-breeder David Woodhouse elected to offer her at the sale last year.
However, she failed to meet her A$700,000 reserve, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, with the mare subsequently surpassing that sum in earnings last spring for trainer Bjorn Baker.
While she took a couple of starts to get going for the expat Kiwi horseman, she hit a purple patch of form in Sydney, earning A$1.289 million when winning the A$2million The Invitation (1400m) and Gr.2 Hot Danish Stakes (1400m).
Woodhouse elected to bring her home to New Zealand in a bid to shoot for a third successive New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeder’s Stakes crown, but it was not to be, and she returned to Baker’s care to see out her racing career this autumn, where she finished sixth in the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last month.
“I am very grateful to Bjorn for what he achieved last year and how he produced her to run in the All Aged Stakes, which was pretty good when you look at the horses that were behind her,” Woodhouse said.
Returning to Magic Millions’ Gold Coast sale ring on Tuesday, Belclare met her previous reserve of A$700,000, and was knocked down to the online bid of Wei Jiaoqi of China.
“It was amazing, Steve (Davis, auctioneer) did a fantastic job,” Woodhouse said.
“We put A$700,000 on her last year and I was told to put a lower reserve to get her started, which we did, and we ended up selling her. It was a very pleasing result.
“We have had so much fun. It has changed my life really for racing because hopefully now I am set up to race a few more over the next few years.”
While he has parted ways with his pride and joy, who he would routinely float to the races himself in New Zealand, Woodhouse said he still has a number of her siblings to look forward to racing, including one-win Time Test filly Rithim, who will line-up in the Wanganui Insurance Brokers 2040 on Saturday for Latta.
“Lisa said she is pretty well and she is looking forward to stepping her back up to 2000m,” Woodhouse said. “Kavish (Chowdhoory, jockey) seems to be able to get her to settle, she was pulling too hard in her races earlier on, but with Kavish on board, hopefully he can get her to settle over the 2000.
“It might be pretty wet up there, so we don’t know how she will go, but we are hoping. She is certainly an improved filly, so hopefully we can get a good run out of her.”
