New South Wales trained mare Belle De Coeur is chasing her maiden black type win in the Listed $100,000 Centenary Classic Mercedes Benz Open Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Belle De Coeur chasing a black type win in the Tattersall's Open Mile. Photo by Steve Hart.
Nowra trainer Luke Price is content with his decision to run Belle De Coeur in the lesser Open Mile and give up a chance to tackle the fillies and mares in the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m).
Price believes that his Show A Heart mare is better placed over the 1600m and a win at Listed level will give her a much deserved black type victory which will be a big boost to her brood mare value.
“It would have been lovely to have a Group 1 runner but at the end of the day I think we have made the right decision,” Price told the Sportsman.
“She’s better weighted and is probably looking for a mile.”
“We discussed it at length, she is very consistent but she hasn’t won a black type race as yet.”
“She has thrived up here and hopefully we get our chance in the Spring.”
Connections were tempted to run the four year old mare in the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara after she was placed twice at Group level from two Winter Carnival outings.
At her first run in Queensland, Belle De Coeur finished one and a quarter lengths second to Srikandi in the Group 3 $150,000 Glenlogan Park Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on May 24.
Srikandi then went on to run third to River Lad in the Group 1 $1.36m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7.
Then Belle De Coeur made up ground late when third to Cosmic Endeavour and Driefontein in the Group 2 $200,000 VIRBAC Animal Health Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Stradbroke Handicap Day.
Price was more than pleased with her run and said with a bit of luck she could have run into second placing.
“At about the 1100m they slackened the speed and she got on heels in a bit of a chain reaction,” Price said.
“She was never on her right leg until the 100m and was going to run fifth or sixth but she did a good job to run third. With a bit of luck she might have run a close second.”
A win at Eagle Farm on Saturday will secure a Melbourne Spring Carnival campign for the Show A Heart mare with Price already pencilling in the Group 1 $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington on November 1.
“If she wins we’ll most definitely be looking at the Myer, it’ be a terrific race for her.”
Belle De Coeur is on the third line of betting at $5.50 for the Tattersall’s Open Mile with Ladbrokes.com.au behind the Gai Waterhouse trained Queenstown at $2.90 and Transporter at $3.80.
Waterhouse will also saddle up top weight Travolta, a $10 chance with Kingdoms at $13 and Elmantosh and Queen’s Elect at $15.
