Quality sprinter Babylon Berlin successfully defended her crown in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) within a display of pure sprinting power at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The Ben and Ryan Foote-trained six-year-old mare has been amongst the upper echelon of New Zealand sprinters in recent years having competed with distinction at the highest levels including finishing runner-up on three separate occasions at Group One level.
Entering her fifth season of raceday action the challenge for her mentors was to ensure she still had the desire to compete on the track and that question was answered in emphatic fashion as she ran her rivals off their feet in stunning fashion.
Rider Vinnie Colgan, who had already won twice on the programme with La Dorada and Bella Voce, sent the daughter of All Too Hard straight to the lead from the barriers and had a lapful of horse under him approaching the home bend.
Colgan let Babylon Berlin have her head at the 300m and she powered clear before holding on comfortably from Imprevu and Geriatrix in a smart 1.09.55 for the 1200m journey.
Ben Foote was rapt to see the mare take the race that she also won fresh-up in 2023, suggesting she was on track to contest some of the major sprint races on the New Zealand calendar over the summer months.
“I just wasn’t sure if she wanted to be back but that proves the point (she does),” Foote said.
“When you see other mares like Atishu and Bella Nipotina winning as seven-year-olds it puts a spring in your step, but you never know until they step out again.
“She didn’t turn her coat until a couple of weeks ago and in the back of my mind I had that thought about whether she wanted to be there.
“She deserves to win a Group One but we will want to see how she comes through this one first before we get too far ahead although the sprint series is an obvious target.”
Foote was referring to races like the Gr.1 Railway (1200m), the Gr.1 Telegraph and Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) where Babylon Berlin finished runner-up in each race during 2022/2023 racing season.
Those races are included in a new innovative ten-race series initiated by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Entain New Zealand & Australia this season that includes races in Australia and New Zealand that culminate on Champions Day at Ellerslie on 8 March.
Points will be allocated to the first four placegetters of each race in the respective series, with a bonus pool of $500,000 being shared amongst the owners of the three highest point scoring horses at the conclusion of each series.
Raced by Foote along with Scott Williams and Kim Rogers, Babylon Berlin is out of Fusaichi Pegasus mare You Can’t Say That, a daughter of What Can I Say who won eight races including six at stakes level.
Babylon Berlin has now won nine of her 30 starts along with being placed on another 14 occasions to accumulate just over $665,000 in prizemoney. - Trackside.co.nz
