Spirits in the Sky 14/06/09

Spirits in the Sky Triumphs

This is the story I always wanted to write, about a real winner.

On all horses birthday, the 1st of August 2005 , we received a call to say that Cosmic Dust had given birth to a colt and after waiting for the children to get home from school, we drove up to David Moody's Yungaburra “Place of the happy Spirit” Farm where the Bel Esprit colt was born three hours before.

In one car were owners David Moody and Daughter, Jessica with Kerry Good and in the other were other owners Julie and Peter Donohoe with their children Tom, Hayley and Brodie together with yours truely.

What a great feeling to see a little fella who wasn't steady on his legs and kept trying to hide behind his Mother as he didn't know who the hell we all were, adventurely come into the open as the children tried to give him some hay to eat.

We were there when he was broken in and constantly went to see him grow.

Then in January last year, we received a call that he had broken a bone in the back of his

front leg while he was being pre-trained. The best cure was long spell in his box so the bone would graft and he didn't see the paddock for months till he came out with his big bung knee. Click photos to enlarge, get a geek of the knee

Nine months later he came back into training with Matthew Ellerton and raced in December last year, he didn't know much about it.

Sent to be trained by Peter Maher at Wodonga, Spirits in the Sky returned to racing at Benalla in April this year where he ran 3rd first up, followed that up with a run at Wodonga and a second at Wagga.

Now the story changes, we decided to sell him and he was sold at the Inglis Bloodstock sales for $8,500 to Steve and Simone Beattie from Condobolin in N.S.W. and today we are very happy to say, he won the Wellington Lions Club Maiden Handicap at Wellington over 1100m.

Spirits didn't jump that great but the jockey Kody Nestor pushed him up to third and second on the turn. After a battle early in the straight from the leader Let'sdanceinfrance, this Bel Esprit fella ran strongly to win by a length and a half and showed that there are more wins in store and maybe over longer distances.

Congratulations to the new owners, trainer Steve and Simone who rides him in all his trackwork and Steve says she must take all the credit for his win today