Belle Plage V1

Courtesy Carrot Club

Belle Plage (pictured here in Sapporo two weeks ago, when she was extremely unlucky not to have won, being badly blocked on the run-in) put in a devastating last three furlongs to pull two-and-a-half lengths clear of her nearest rival in Sapporo, clocking up her maiden victory and win number 18 for the Long family.

Starting as favourite, this was her seventh run, and apart from two weird and wonderful results, she'd always ran strong before, coming fourth once and second three times in her earlier outings. Katsuura-san feels she can perform well in the higher classes, too, so that's something to look forward to in the future. With Pretty Gully scrubbed in Oz, that's all I have running this weekend, but it's nice to have one in the bag with this girl. The trainer will see what she's like after returning to the stables, and make a decision on the next move from there. At least she has secured her place in next year's line-up, so everyone can relax a little now...

PS. Rush Attack has now arrived at Miho Training Centre, meaning his debut is just around the corner. This is one that Louis picked out from the catalogue. Also received the winning post picture of Irish Harp this afternoon, so definitely have to make some wallspace for that.