Blue Sky, Belabor, Vigneron 22/10/2007

Blue Skys for Bel



22 October 2007
Bel Esprit has enhanced an already memorable spring with continued success throughout the past week and is bound to firm up his top 20 position on the sires’ table with a host of progeny waiting in the wings.Despite receiving a blow when Gary Kennewell’s Caulfield Guineas hope, Gabbidon, was injured in a paddock accident (“set to dominate the spring” according to commentator Alf Mathews), Bel Esprit has shown there’s plenty of depth with Belcentra grabbing third in the MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes-G3 on 13 October and Blue Sky running a huge second in Saturday’s Winning Edge Presentations Stakes-LR.Blue Sky became black typer No. 5 for Bel Esprit in the Winning Edge, moving out from behind the leaders to make his push but unable to peg back Vandalo, falling shy by a neck. A $200,000 yearling purchased by Clinton McDonald at the 2006 Gold Coast Magic Millions, from the Eliza Park draft, Blue Sky has now raced on six occasions for a win, 3 seconds and a third.Blue Sky is out of the Supremo mare Aquatint, a half sister to the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes-G1 winner Rhythmic Charm.Also prominent through the week were Bel Esprit pair Belabor and Vigneron, with the former running a tremendous second on debut at Hastings in New Zealand, while the latter grabbed a solid third at Moe.Belabor, from the Coronation Day mare Nezzie, was sold by Eliza Park at the 2006 Melbourne Premier for $77,500 and is clearly a huge prospect: particularly based on his first outing which saw fly home on a dead track for a long neck second.Vigneron, a $95,000 purchased at the 2006 Gold Coast Magic Millions, was equally impressive with his placing at Moe and a win doesn’t appear too far in the offing.