Bel Esprit Sprinter Wins Takeover Target

Tara Madgwick - Thursday January 17
Sun Stud's evergreen sire Bel Esprit featured at Gosford on Thursday when the Australian Bloodstock colours were carried to victory in the $150,000 Listed Takeover Target Stakes by Tactical Advantage.




A Gooree Stud homebred that was purchased by Australian Bloodstock last year, Tactical Advantage (images Steve Hart) has been in good form since joining the stable of Kris Lees .

Tactical Advantage returns a winner!He won three of his first four starts for his new trainer and was last seen finishing sixth in a Listed race at Doomben on December 29.

Ridden quietly off the pace in this 1200 metre sprint by Brenton Avdulla, Tactical Advantage zoomed to the line to beat the favourite Easy Eddie by a long head.

"The second horse took some running down so it was a good effort," said Kris Lees.

"It's really good to win a stakes race with him. He has a great bunch of owners.

"He can have a little break now, he's done a good job."

The 25th stakes-winner for Bel Esprit, Tactical Advantage has the overall record of nine wins and seven placings from 21 starts with prizemoney topping $550,000.

Tactical Advantage is the best of four winners from Group III placed Encosta de Lago mare Above Perfection, a daughter of stakes-winner Actress from the family of Gooree Stud's Group I winners Desert War, Laser Hawk and Romantic Touch.

Above Perfection has a yearling filly by Artie Schiller (USA), a colt foal by Shalaa (IRE) and was covered last spring by the Gooree Stud bred Smart Missile.

Black Caviar's sire Bel Esprit turns 20 this year and returned to Victoria last year for Sun Stud where he was welcomed warmly covering 95 mares at a fee of $11,000.





Advertisment
More Reading...
From Kingston Town to Northerly - A Race Named for Champions
With the end of 2025 fast approaching it’s time to turn our attention to the final G1 race of the Australian racing year, and the last of the “big three” at the Ascot Pinnacles carnival - It is of course, the $1.5 million Northerly Stakes run over 1800m at WFA, and this year marks its 50th running.
Twenty-Sixth Stakes Winner for Bel Esprit
The 5-year-old Bel Esprit mare Belwazi made her first stakes attempt a winning one in Saturday’s Listed Kensington Stakes at Flemington and in the process provided a welcome to Victoria for the champion South Australian jockey Jamie Kah.
One To Watch - Randwick-Kensington
Primed to make his debut off the back of six barrier trials, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Flying Artie colt Lancelot Du Lac impressed onlookers at his first race start, with the half-brother to Group 1 Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot pulling clear to score by just shy of two and a half lengths.
Saving Baby Ryan
An orphaned foal bred in Victoria faced an uphill battle when he arrived at Larneuk Stud in the spring of 2021 and four years on he is now a winner!
D’Argento Filly Wins $100,000 Inglis Xtra Bonus
Stakes-placed at two and fourth in the Group II ATC Percy Sykes Stakes to Tempted, it seems amazing that D’Argento filly Sequista was not a winner until Thursday, but she picked a good day to break the ice claiming a $100,000 Inglis Xtra bonus for her Gosford victory.
Second Stakes for Bel Esprit's Tactical Advantage
If Australian Bloodstock was disappointed with the performance of their colour-bearer Mustajeer (GB) in the Melbourne Cup it didn’t take long to bounce back with the Bel Esprit gelding Tactical Advantage breaking a run of outs in the Listed MSS Security Sprint (1200m) at Flemington.
Shares in Group One Stars Highlight MM Digital Sale
Shares in three Group winning stars with major Summer and Autumn Carnival targets headline the catalogue for the latest Magic Millions Digital Sale which is now open for bidding.
First Win for $1million I Am Invincible Filly
A $1million Magic Millions purchase from Widden Stud, I Am Invincible filly La Basilique cast off maiden status with a tenacious win at Randwick on Friday afternoon in the Yulong colours.
A Victory for the Locals in Seymour Cup
The Japanese-breds have been having the time of their lives in Australia of late so when Damian Lane drove A Shin Rook (JPN) through on the rails in Sunday’s $200,000 Listed Seymour Cup (1600m0 it looked a matter of here we go again but this one was destined to be a local victory.
Chaldean Foals Popular at Tattersalls December
The first Northern Hemisphere bred foals by Cambridge Stud shuttler Chaldean (GB) were in keen demand at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale with a cracking filly leading the way when she changed hands for 240,000gns.