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Victoria has little trouble in finding a leading stallion but it has more trouble holding on to them.
In recent years leading stallions Encosta de Lago and Testa Rossa have fallen prey to the Hunter Valley.
With his ability to attract mares Bel Esprit would have been on the radar for many a leading farm north of the border even before the emergence of the champion Black Caviar in his third crop.
If there is
one negative, Bel Esprit has yet to prove he is among the leading sire of
juveniles.
In the season just completed he had just one 2yo winner from nine starters. To be fair it came from his smallest crop to date. The son of Royal Academy had 80 live foals from the season where his service fee was bumped up to $33,000.
The previous season he left 198 foals from 266 mares covered at a fee of $20,000 and when his fee was halved to $16,500 in 2009 he covered 251 mares.
The SAJC The Jansz (G3 winner Gabiddon is the only one of Bel Esprit's four 2yo stakes-winners to have won a Group race.
The Patrick Payne-trained Rebel Truce is a good example of how the Bel Esprit's improve with age. He was winless in five starts at two before breaking his maiden at his second at start at three.
The now 6yo gelding is racing most consistently and looks to be a leading chance in Saturday's Make-A-Wish Sprint Handicap (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
He has also shown a liking for the track having placed there twice from three starts.
His last three starts included victories at Flemington and Mildura and was most recently a fast finishing second at Caulfield.
A homebred, Rebel Truce is the first foal of the former smart racemare Largo (Encosta de Lago).
The winner of six races and placed a further 13 times including the Listed Silver Jubilee Stakes from 45 starts for earnings of over $235,000, Largo is a full sister to another very talented filly Gazania winner of the Listed Boronia Stakes.
Both are daughter of the Swettenham Stud Stakes (G3) winner Viminaria (El Qahira) a three-quarter sister to AJC Oaks (G1) heroine Alcove.
Viminaria died in 2002 having left just three live foals and sadly Gazania produced just two live foals before her death in 2010.
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