Belcentra 30/09/07, 6/11/2007 (1,2,3)

Belcentra at the Valley.
September 30th, 2007
Eliza Park's young stallion, Bel Esprit, continues to roll out the winners and at Moonee Valley on Friday night his daughter Belcentra easily won the NHP Electrical Hcp (1200m).Trainer Lee Freedman said the three-length plus win over Beaming (Canadian Silver - Tough Assignement bo Covetous) and Falvelon's Dream (Falvelon - She's a Pipe Dream by Jackson Square) came as no surprise and he predicted even further improvement from the Bel Esprit three-year-old."She (Belcentra) beat a handy field tonight", Freedman told TVN."She showed us plenty as a two-year-old. We thought she had a great chance in the Inglis Classic won by Incumbent, but, she chipped a bone in her knee. So we looked after that problem and her work this preparation has been first rate. Her win at Bendigo was very sound - and tonight showed us she's got more to give. Corey was very kind to her."Jockey Corey Brown said he expects a lot more from the brown filly.Belcentra is gathering a handy record with two wins, a second on her five start card, with earnings topping $98,000, already providing her owners' with a small profit as Rob Slade purchased her at the Inglis Premier Yearling sale last year for $50,000 from the draft of the Erinvale Thoroughbreds as agent.Slade runs a successful syndication business and all of his horses are prepared by Lee Freedman.Belcentra's dam Centra Rainbeam (by Centaine), was a moderate racemare with only three starts to her credit, she is a three-quarter-sister-in-blood to the Group 2 2YO Classic winner, Fleur de Chine (by Centaine) who in turn is the dam of the Group I SAJC Australasian Oaks winner, Tully Thunder (by Thunder Gulch).

Slade success continues with Belcentra stakes win

Story By Jason Hickson
Tuesday, 6 November 2007:


A plan to target today's Listed Lexus Stakes with talented filly Belcentra paid dividends with the easiest of wins at Flemington today.Trainer Lee Freedman decided to bypass the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield last month and aim the filly at today's black-type race to ensure she added a stakes win to her record.It was a planning masterstoke as the Bel Esprit filly, who started an even-money favourite, cruised to a five length win.Pleasantsundaygirl, unbeaten in two runs coming into the race, tasted defeat for the first time finishing second while another in-form filly Aceland Street held third.But they weren't in the same league as Belcentra gave jockey Corey Brown an armchair ride and a consolation prize after his mount Maybe Better was scratched from the Melbourne Cup only an hour earlier.The filly was tackling 1400m for the first time today and will now step up to a mile on Saturday week in the Sandown Guineas.She was a $50,000 bargain bought by Slade Bloodstock's Rob and Corinna Slade and syndicated to a big group of owners.The filly is a daughter of dual Group 1 winner Bel Esprit but has some stoutness on her dams side, being by the Centaine mare Centra Rainbeam, who is a three-quarter sister to Group 2 winner Fleur De Chine, who in turn has produced Australasian Oaks winner Tully Thunder.

Belcentra bounces back
November 7, 2007
TRAINER Lee Freedman will send his improving filly Belcentra to the group 1 Sandown Guineas on Saturday week after she won her first black-type race by thrashing fellow fillies in the listed Lexus Stakes to record the day's easiest win.Freedman said a joint operation for the filly earlier this spring had put her behind in her preparation for the group 1 Thousand Guineas but said she deserved a shot at a good race before she is spelled for the feature filly's races in Melbourne next autumn."She was always a week or two behind and so rather push on towards the Thousand Guineas, we took a step back and went for a smaller race. She's had no racing this preparation, really, so we'll aim her for the Sandown Guineas. She's been looking for the 1400 metres for a while now …"

Black Type For Belcentra.
November 7th, 2007
Promising filly Belcentra made the Listed VRC Lexus Stakes over 1400 metres at Flemington on Cup Day her own, when she annihilated her rivals to claim her first black type victory by five-and-a-half lengths.Trained by Lee Freedman, the daughter of Bel Esprit was sent out a short priced favourite after finishing third in a Group Three event at her previous start and on Tuesday she never looked in danger as she settled behind the early pacemaker in third spot. Rounding the home turn, rider Corey Brown, waited until she was balanced and gave Belcentra a little more rein and she went straight past Pleasantsundaygirl (Cape Cross - Thunder Nights by Thunder Gulch) like she was tied to a post to score as she liked.Aceland Street (Street Cry - Masseera by Alzao) held on for third.Belcentra was originally being set for the Group One MRC Thousand Guineas, but her preparation got behind with a couple of injury concerns, after an impressive Maiden win at Bendigo on September 9th she's continued to thrive and she has subsequently won at the stiff Moonee Valley course along with a sold third behind Gamble Me in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, leading up to her start at Flemington on Tuesday.“I was just that a week or two behind with it all the way so I thought rather than pushing on, I'd rather just go to the smaller race and come here," Freedman said. "We did that with Flame Of Sydney last year and she won probably just as easily."Belcentra becomes the third individual stakes-winner for young Eliza Park based sire Bel Esprit, with her overall record now standing at three wins and two placings from seven starts with prizemoney of $200,000. She is owned by a large syndicate put together by Slade Bloodstock, run by Rob and Corinna Slade, they purchased her for a modest $50,000 at the 2006 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from the draft of Erinvale Thoroughbreds. Belcentra is the second foal of the Centaine mare Centra Rainbeam, who comes from the family of Group One Oaks winners Tully Thunder and Sandy’s Pleasure.