Sugar Bella Tops Off Another Successful Day
In a long and successful career on the track, Hula Wonder won 13 and placed in 16 of her 61 starts while banking almost $500,000 including a pair of Group III’s in Melbourne.
The now pensioned daughter of Hula Chief proved equally reliable in her second career at stud but she may well have saved the best for last.
With Jason Collett in the saddle, the Kris Lees-trained Sugar Bella motored home from last to earn a maiden stakes win Saturday’s Group III Wenona Girl Quality (1200m).
The 4yo daughter of Not A Single Doubt scored by a short head from Fastnet Rock mare Miss Que who was half a length in front of Perizada (Shaft).
Sugar Bella advanced her record to six wins from seven starts with earnings of $247,440.
She has already proved an excellent investment on her $135,000 purchase price out of the Corumbene Stud draft at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“I gave up after 100 metres,” Lees told AAP.
“The plan was to be behind the leaders. To his credit Jason (Collett) left her alone and coming round the corner I started to get my hopes up.
“I know she has an electric turn of foot and was either going to just get beaten or win.”
Sugar Bella became ineligible for the Provincial Championship series but that failed to damp enthusiasm of her connections with valuable black-type against her name.
“The owners were keen to get a stakes win with her,” Lees said.
“She is a high-quality mare and can go on to even better races but we will let the dust settle on this win before a decision.”
Sugar Bella is the eighth and final foal of Hula Wonder who won the Group III VRC The Gillette Stakes and Group III MVRC WH Stocks Stakes, which was a race won by her dam Natural Wonder (Aurilandy).
Equally tough and talented as her daughter, Natural Wonder won 12 and placed in 14 of her 46 starts in Melbourne including three stakes races.
Natural Wonder had just three foals while Hula Wonder had eight foals before time was called on her career in 2015.
All six of her eight foals to reach the track were winners. Before the emergence of Sugar Bella, the Listed winner Wily Jimmy was her best.
The son of Dehere banked over $330,000 from a record of seven wins and 6 places from 38 starts.
Corumbene has retained one daughter of Hula Wonder, the talented Sydney winning Danehill Dancer mare Kylie who had a yearling by the Cox Plate hero Adelaide (IRE) make $140,000 to the bid of Gerald Ryan at this year’s Magic Millions.
Sugar Bella becomes the 53rd stakes winner for Not A Single Doubt who was represented by another first-time stakes-winner on the day, Happy Clapper’s half-brother Not A Single Cent who broke his maiden in the Group II VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.
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