Brave Bella lands Listed prize

Our well-related mare Bella Waters took a significant step up in grade in the Listed Rotorua Cup over 2200 metres and she rose to the challenge in memorable style.Trainers Moira and Kieran Murdoch have done an outstanding job with our daughter of Sacred Falls, who was a Rating 65 winner three starts ago and is now likely to be rewarded with a break.“This mare has improved with every single run and is just so honest,” Moira Murdoch said.Bella Waters settled back of midfield before improving across the top and drove between runners for rider Masa Hashizume in the closing 100 metres to gain an all-important black type victory.“I was hoping we were going to get a run and when she did get it, she really stretched out,” Murdoch said.“She’s done it all on one preparation and I would imagine she’ll go out for a spell now.”Bella Waters is a half-sister to the G2 Autumn Classic winner Immediacy with their dam the Pivotal mare But Beautiful, who was successful three times up to 1600 metres in England.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 dam of the dual Group 1 winner Stravinsky, who sired six top-flight winners during his successful tenure at Cambridge Stud.We sold But Beautiful’s filly by Hello Youmzain to Busuttin Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock at Karaka this year for $240,000 and she is in foal to Embellish.