Gabbidon 19/10/06, 7/05/07, 2/9/07, 23/9/07

A First For Bel Esprit
Thursday 19.10.2006
Exciting juvenile Gabbidon's win at Murray Bridge was the first victory by Bel Esprit’s offspring - ringing in a new era in Australian breeding. The ‘Bel’ tolled yesterday with the victory of exciting juvenile, Gabbidon, at Murray Bridge, thus becoming Bel Esprit’s first winner and, potentially, ringing in a new era in Australian breeding.Somewhat fittingly, Gabbidon is from multiple city winning Scenic mare Eliza Park which, technically, makes this Eliza Park’s first Bel Esprit winner too … in more ways than one (just the way we planned it!).A decidedly buoyant, Shane McGrath, believes this is first among many: “For Bel Esprit to notch up his first winner this early in the season … well, it’s simply fantastic.“Let’s face it – on ‘paper’ – Bel Esprit is a moral to be successful: he was unquestionably one of the best 2YOs we’ve seen for a long time, he raced on at three (BTC Doomben 10,000-G1 and Champion 3YO), he’s well bred for Australian conditions (by Royal Academy out of a Vain mare) and he’s powerful.“Having said that, it’s great to get the first winner away.”And, not surprisingly, the ‘esprit de corps’ at Eliza Park is running fairly high, particularly as this Eliza Park filly first saw the light of day at Eliza Park!“They don’t get much more ‘home-bred’ than this,” Shane adds. “Eliza Park was raced by Eliza Park owner, Lee Fleming, and naturally Lee was keen to send her to Bel Esprit when he retired to stud.“Gabbidon was a lovely type from day one and we sent her across to Adelaide where she fetched $110,000 … top price for a Bel Esprit at that sale.”(The first Bel Esprit yearlings would also sell to $200,000 on the Gold Coast, $200,000 in Melbourne and $160,000 in Sydney, underlining his ‘universal’ appeal).“We all can’t wait for the 2007 yearling sales,” Shane emphasises. “If you thought his first crop were nice types, wait until you see his second lot!

Group 3 for Gabbidon
It was group one Goodwood Handicap day at Morphettville in South Australia on Sunday and one of the smart performances on the undercard was turned in by the Bel Esprit filly, Gabbidon, with her victory in the Group 3 The Jansz (1200m).Gabbidon (ex Eliza Park by Scenic) was coming off an unlucky fourth in the Listed SA Stakes (1050m), behind Fasline, got away from her rivals at the top of the straight and scored an impressive half-length win over Purrealist (Tale of the Cat - Surrealist) with Little Arrow (Align - Cupid's Dart) another two lengths away in third.Prepared in South Australia by Gary Kennewell, who told SKY, that she will now head to Queensland for the feature Group 2 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) and the Group I T.J. Smith Stakes (1600m). “She’s always been a really nice horse, pretty classy,” Kennewell said. “I fell in love with her the first time I saw here and had to have her.”Kennewell paid $110,000 for the Bel Esprit filly, from the 2006 Magic Millions Adeliade sale from the draft of Eliza Park Stud and provides her young sire with his first stakes winner.Bel Esprit's is well represented by a number of quality youngsters at the forthcoming Magic Millions National Sale at the Gold Coast in June, with seven weanlings catalogued, four colts and three fillies, and another five yearlings are catalogued including a half sister to Group One winner Rockabubble.Bel Esprit's fee remains the same as last year's fee this spring at $20,000 (inc gst).

Gabbidon at Caulfield.

September 2nd, 2007

Racing was back on track after the equine influenza crisis that halted racing last Saturday and in the first race of the 11-race Memsie and McNeil Stakes card, South Australian trainer Gary Kennewell drew first blood when Gabbidon took out the Bourke Street TAB Hcp (1400m) on Saturday at Caulfield. The promising daughter of Bel Esprit had been staying with Graeme Rogerson's Flemington stables for nearly three weeks, and with plenty of time to settle in she ran right up to her top class effort behind Bel Mer at the same track three weeks earlier to claim her third career success from just six starts.Gabbidon had previously shown her ability with a win over highly-rated colt Purrealist in the Group Three The Jansz (1200m) at Morphettville back in May before being spelled.At her first run in Victoria, she was ridden by Nick Ryan in the Quezette Stakes, where the stewards report highlighted she was slowly away and Ryan dropped his whip near the 400m when she finished seventh of eight to Bel Mer in the Listed event when resuming on August 18.On Saturday Gabbidon was ridden by Craig Newitt, from barrier two and she raced in the first four throughout in a slowly-run race with Enjoy the Joureny leading them to the home turn with Catalan Bay just behind her trying to edge off the fence into the clear. Bonded and Gabbidon quickly joined in and Gabbidon ran home very strongly to score by 1-1/4 lengths from Absolut Glam (Snowland - Pine Away by Pine Bluff) with Bonded (Danewin - Betta Fortune by Luskin Star) a neck away in third.Gabbidon, is out of the Scenic mare Eliza Park, she cost her owners the Alpara Lodge syndicate $110,000 at the 2006 Adelaide Magic Millions yearling sale and she has won three of her six starts - with her earnings topping $110,000 in prizemoney she has paid for herself in full.Eliza Park descends from a very good family that features the group one BTC Doomben Cup winner Akhenaton (by Snippets) and the MRC Blue Diamond winner Paint (by Raami).Kennewell will aim the filly towards the Group I Thousand Guineas (1600m) at the same track on October 17, with her next run in the Group 3 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) on September 22.Over in South Australia at Morphettville, Bel Esprit, made it a two-state metropolitan double when Snip Esprit (ex French Snip by Snippets) took out the Allan Scott Hcp (1050m) for three-year-olds by 3-1/4 lengths from Giant Killer (Elusive Quality - Serein by Snippets) with Graskey (Grass Wonder - Key to the Met by Mehmet) in third another neck away.

Group 3 for Gabbidon.
September 23rd, 2007

Eliza Park's young stallion Bel Esprit is having a great run at the moment and in particular his daughter Gabbidon is stamping her quality, with another top class effort to capture the Group 3 Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield on Saturday.The three-year-old bay was ridden by Queensland jockey Stathi Katsidis, who secured the ride late late on Saturday morning after Nick Ryan became sick. Katsidis decided to base himself in Melbourne for the spring after he landed the plum ride on the gun sprinting mare, Gold Edition who won the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley last weekend.Trainer Gary Kennewell was happy to have the young hoops services. Jumping from barrier 12 in a 14-strong field, Katsidis was happy to follow the field for the first two furlongs as the Blue Diamond winner Sleek Chassis was ridden aggressively early to take up the running and she then took them along at a good pace from Tan Tat De Lago. Sleek Chassis beat off Tan Tat de Lago inside the 300m, but Gabbidon, who had saved ground along the inside after being slowly away, raced to her at the 200m and drew away to impressively to win by a widening length margin from Jestatune (Rory's Jester - Umatune by Umatilla) with Sleek Chassis (Flying Spur - Tigereye by Kappstad) another length-and-a-quarter away in third."She missed the start. She's always slow away," Katsidis told TVN's Bruce Clark."The connections were very confident. She's got gears."Gabbidon has now won her last two starts at Caulfield, and she has firmed sharply from $34 to $5 favourite for the Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 17.Raced by the Alpara Lodge Syndicate, managed by Greg White, Gabbidon has won four of her seven starts.