News

Spirit adds to story

28th Dec 2012

TVN - Tara Madgwick - Thursday, 27 January 2012

Black Caviar’s sire Bel Esprit has proved once again that he is no ‘one horse wonder’ as a sire, posting his 15th stakes-winner when talented sprinter Audacious Spirit captured the listed Lough Neah Stakes at Doomben last Saturday.

The Gillian Heinrich-trained gelding led throughout for jockey Jeff Lloyd and fought on tenaciously to win the 1350m sprint by half a neck, taking his overall record to six wins and 10 placings from 25 starts with earnings in excess of $380,000.

Audacious Spirit (pictured as yearling) was purchased by Heinrich Bloodstock for $70,000 from the Eliza Park draft at the 2009 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and is the best of two winners from Zeditave mare Roskeel, a half-sister to Group 3 winner Vivacious Spirit, who is also by Bel Esprit.

His second dam is by Snippets, which means Audacious Spirit is the sixth stakes-winner bred on a highly successful nick between Bel Esprit and Snippets.

The mix has produced 82% winners-to-runners and the six stakes-winners bred this way include Black Caviar and Bel Sprinter.

Eliza Park based Bel Esprit was the leading Victorian based sire in Australia last season finishing sixth on the Australian General Sires List by earnings and has powered along again this year.

Bel Esprit has 25 yearlings set to be offered at the 2013 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale on March 3, 4, 5 & 6.