At her first start in New Zealand since winning the Auckland Cup G1 in January this year, six-year-old mare Bazelle (Zabeel-Show Games by Showdown) led home an all-female finish in the ARC Galaxy S. 2000m G1 on the first day of the Auckland Racing Club's New Zealand Herald Summer Carnival. Five-year-old Kind Return, also by Zabeel, was second, and last-start Group 2 winner Focal Point (by Kashani) was third.
The Zabeel quinella was highly appropriate, because Cambridge Stud sponsors the race which has been known for several years as the Zabeel Classic. Bazelle is her champion sire's third winner of the race, after Zonda (2001) and St Reims last season. All three horses belong to an elite group among Zabeel's best progeny of 17 horses that have won more than once at Group One level. In all, he has sired 32 Group One winners to date, twelve of them fillies and mares.
The quality of today's field was disappointing, although not surprisingly so, given that in the past fifteen years only one winner of the race, Star Dancer (1995 & 1996), has also won a Group One weight-for-age race in Australia. However, a line taken through Bazelle's recent form might encourage the owners of the placegetters to consider a trans-Tasman trip.
That's because Bazelle was among the best Kiwi-trained performers during the recent spring in Melbourne. Without winning, she earned more than $A66,000 from her five starts, which included a good sixth in El Segundo's MRC Caulfield S. G1 and a very close second to Umbula in the MVRC Moonee Valley Gold Cup G2.
"Well-related, non-winning successful producer" perfectly describes Bazelle's dam Show Games, a sister to champion Australian two-year-old Toy Show and dam of eight winners from 12 named foals. The best of these before Bazelle was Brighton Dolly, second to Lee's Bid in the 1991 South Australian Oaks G1. Another daughter has left the Caulfield Cup runner-up Lisa's Game, and further back the family is responsible for the very good mid-1980s three-year-old Joindre.
Co-incidentally, another sister to Toy Show, Toy Mistress, is the grand-dam of promising Sydney juvenile Assertive who won at Randwick soon after Bazelle's victory at Ellerslie.
Bazelle was bred and is co-owned by Victorian-based, but New Zealand-born NZTBA member Lorna Moore, who is also the breeder of AJC Flight S. G1 winner Unearthly, another daughter of Zabeel.
Grateful acknowledgement to Arion Pedigrees for pedigree, performance and statistical data.
- Susan Archer
The Zabeel quinella was highly appropriate, because Cambridge Stud sponsors the race which has been known for several years as the Zabeel Classic. Bazelle is her champion sire's third winner of the race, after Zonda (2001) and St Reims last season. All three horses belong to an elite group among Zabeel's best progeny of 17 horses that have won more than once at Group One level. In all, he has sired 32 Group One winners to date, twelve of them fillies and mares.
The quality of today's field was disappointing, although not surprisingly so, given that in the past fifteen years only one winner of the race, Star Dancer (1995 & 1996), has also won a Group One weight-for-age race in Australia. However, a line taken through Bazelle's recent form might encourage the owners of the placegetters to consider a trans-Tasman trip.
That's because Bazelle was among the best Kiwi-trained performers during the recent spring in Melbourne. Without winning, she earned more than $A66,000 from her five starts, which included a good sixth in El Segundo's MRC Caulfield S. G1 and a very close second to Umbula in the MVRC Moonee Valley Gold Cup G2.
"Well-related, non-winning successful producer" perfectly describes Bazelle's dam Show Games, a sister to champion Australian two-year-old Toy Show and dam of eight winners from 12 named foals. The best of these before Bazelle was Brighton Dolly, second to Lee's Bid in the 1991 South Australian Oaks G1. Another daughter has left the Caulfield Cup runner-up Lisa's Game, and further back the family is responsible for the very good mid-1980s three-year-old Joindre.
Co-incidentally, another sister to Toy Show, Toy Mistress, is the grand-dam of promising Sydney juvenile Assertive who won at Randwick soon after Bazelle's victory at Ellerslie.
Bazelle was bred and is co-owned by Victorian-based, but New Zealand-born NZTBA member Lorna Moore, who is also the breeder of AJC Flight S. G1 winner Unearthly, another daughter of Zabeel.
Grateful acknowledgement to Arion Pedigrees for pedigree, performance and statistical data.
- Susan Archer
