Punters may be surprised to hear that Black Caviar is not the only progeny of Bel Espirit with an undefeated race record.
The Jason Warren trained Bel Sprinter puts his undefeated streak on the line in the 1100m King Island Dairy Handicap at Flemington on Saturday.
While Bel Sprinters record of two from two may pale in comparison to that of his older half-sister, Warren believes the horse can have an impact during the spring carnival.
Warren said that the ultimate aim for the horse was to have him ready for the Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on September 24.
“The plan was to get him up and going and win a couple of Super VOBIS races for some prize money and get his rating up before the spring,” Warren said.
“He’s lightly raced and had plenty of time to mature but he’s meeting some pretty progressive horses on Saturday.”
Warren confirmed that a top two finish for the horse would be enough to see him move on to the Group Three Aurie’s Star Handicap before going on to the Rupert Clarke.
Warren said that the fact that Bel Sprinter would be racing up the straight at Flemington for the first time was a concern.
“He was a bit green at Moonee Valley and ideally we would have liked to have taken him to Flemington during the week for a look at the straight track but unfortunately they don’t allow horses to do that,” Warren said.
“The straight can be quite daunting for a young horse and it is a bit of a worry but having said that he has got a very big stride and I think it should suit his racing style.
“Both times he got a bit unbalanced when going around the turn at Moonee Valley and Mornington, which are both tight tracks, and the extra 100 meters will undoubtedly help him on Saturday. He is by no means bulletproof but he’s pretty smart.”
Bel Sprinter, who will again be ridden by Ben Melham, is currently a $3.30 second favourite for the King Island Dairy Handicap for three year olds. The favourite for the race at this stage is the Peter Snowden trained Lohengrin.
Lohengrin burst onto the scene in February when he won his first start at the races by an incredible eight lengths. The second horse in that race was Domeksy, who then went on to Alister Clark Stakes beating home the likes of I Think I Do and Shadowofexcellence. At his second start he finished a close to the smart Peter Moody sprinter Mr Make Believe.
