Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
The brilliant Wishing Belle gave further proof that she will be hard to beat in the $100,000 APG Sales Classic for three-year-old fillies on April 17 when she revealed sparkling speed to score an easy win in the Bridge Bar Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo’s confident prediction that Wishing Belle would lead from barrier four and make life extremely tough for star colt D Mac and the highly promising gelding Proposition Joe was justified with Wishing Belle beating Proposition Joe by a length, with last year’s Golden Slipper winner D Mac another length farther back in third place.
Wishing Belle, who is expected to contest an event for fillies next Friday night , has been most impressive, with her eleven starts producing nine wins, two seconds and $273,311 in prizemoney.
She is justifying De Campo’s judgment in choosing the filly at the 2024 Perth APG sale and purchasing her for $55,000 before syndicating her to several stable clients.
“It was good that we were able to pinch the opening quarter in 31.3sec.,” said De Campo. “She is not only an excellent frontrunner, but she has a lot of highspeed and is a capable sit-sprinter.”
Wishing Belle was the $2.20 second fancy, with D Mac, racing first-up, the $1.75 favourite, and Proposition Joe an $8.50 chance who worked hard in the breeze and fought on determinedly.
D Mac, who started from the outside in the field of seven, raced in last position until Gary Hall Jnr sent him forward with about 700m to travel. He plugged on gamely.
“D Mac hangs in and battles to get around the bends,” said Hall. “He is a work in progress and needs to be straightened.”
Wishing Belle has inherited much of the brilliance from her dam, the Christian Cullen mare Libertybelle Midfrew, who raced 51 times for 19 wins, 11 placings and $640,497. Her wins included the 2014 WA Oaks, the Golden Nugget later that year and the 2016 Mount Eden Sprint.