Bel Merci (AUS)
2 f Extreme Choice – Bel Mer by Bel Esprit
O: Bell River Thoroughbreds (Mgr: A J Ferguson), Miss J Hogno, R G Hogno, Mrs M Hogno, Brookava Thoroughbreds (Mgr: D K Walker), J Gilvarry, Mrs R J Gilvarry, Mrs B J Koungras, F P Doran, Mrs C M Doran, R J Gilvarry & Watto Racing (Mgr: G R Watson)
B: Bell River Thoroughbreds, R Hogno, Brookava Tbs, J Gilvarry
T: John Thompson
W: Gimcrack Stakes, Group 3, 1000m, October 5, Randwick
Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) showed her enormous talent when she landed the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) at Randwick last Saturday, prompting her trainer John Thompson to declare the filly ‘a star’.
Bel Merci produced a tremendous front-running display from gate two of 14 to beat O’ Ole (Ole Kirk) by 1.4 lengths with Memo (Capitalist) third, a further 0.4 lengths away.
“She’s a star, don’t worry about that,” said Thompson. “She’s not trained up at all, that’s not me. That’s just pure, natural ability there.
“She’s a lovely filly. I’m just so rapt for the breeders, Bell River.
“She’s just a natural. She jumped out here before the official two-year-old trials. She was six lengths in front around the home corner and won by 12 in her jump-out. She’s just a natural two-year-old with ability.”
Bell River had entered the yearling Bel Merci at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast sale, but opted to withdraw and race her. The move was made more feasible by the fact her sister fetched $800,000 at the same sale a year earlier, to Peachester Lodge. Now known as Surprise Honey, she’s a dual metro placegetter from three starts for Brisbane’s Tony Gollan.
Bel Merci is a half-sister to stakes winner All Too Royal (All Too Hard), being the ninth winner from ten foals to race out of the 2009 Robert Sangster Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Bel Mer (Bel Esprit), who was purchased by Ferguson Bloodstock for $70,000 from a Magic Millions Online Sale in 2020.
Newgate’s Extreme Choice is standing for a fee of $275,000 (inc GST), unchanged from his 2023 fee.