Bella bags Group 2 in style

Bella Waters produced a career best performance in the G2 Tauranga Stakes to add to her burgeoning record.

The five-year-old has made rapid and impressive progress under the guidance of Moira and Kieran Murdoch to double her winning tally at black type level and set up a possible crack at the G1 Zabeel Classic on Boxing Day.

Our homebred and raced daughter of the late Sacred Falls was a big mover last season when she went from her maiden success to victory in the Listed Rotorua Cup in one preparation.

Bella Waters was then spelled and finished midfield when resuming last month over 1300 metres before a stellar performance to score over1600 metres in the Tauranga weight-for-age feature.

“I thought she was a little bit unlucky first-up and we were worried about the track this time, but it turned out to be good for her, she really has come of age,” Moira Murdoch said.

Bella Waters settled back in the running before edging closer near the turn and she thundered home down the outside in the hands of regular rider Warre Kennedy to account for a competitive line-up.

She is a daughter of our Irish-bred Pivotal mare But Beautiful, who was successful on three occasions and is also the dam of the G2Autumn Classic winner Immediacy.

But Beautiful is a half-sister to the European stakes winners Ayrad and Dawn Of Hope and their second dam Fire The Groom was successful in the G1 Arlington Park Beverley D Stakes.

She is the mother of the dual Group 1 winner Stravinsky, sire of six top-flight winners during his successful tenure at Cambridge Stud.

We sold Bella Waters’ half-sister by Hello Youmzain to Busuttin Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock at Karaka this year for $240,000 and But Beautiful is due to foal to Embellish.

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