Exciting filly Exploring completed a Group-winning double for her young sire Brazen Beau on Saturday, 11 February when she won the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies over 1,100m at Sandown in Melbourne.
Less than a day earlier, five-year-old mare Belsielle broke her Black-Type duck when she came from nearly last to win the G3 Bow Mistress Stakes (1,200m) at Hobart in Tasmania.
Exploring, out of the Australian mare Cristobal and trained by James Cummings for Godolphin, began brilliantly and surged to the lead before jockey Craig Williams nursed the filly until the final 200m.
Exploring, having only her third race start, fought on strongly to beat Party For Two and Extreme Threat to seal her place in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1,200m) at Sandown on 25 February.
Exploring is the first foal out of Exceed And Excel mare Cristobal and she has a yearling half-brother by Street Boss (US).
Belsielle had become Brazen Beau’s 21st Stakes winner when she won G3 Bow Mistress Stakes.
Patiently ridden by experienced jockey Craig Newitt, Belsielle swamped Embeller and Sirene Stryker in the 1,200m sprint to win by 1.25 lengths.
The win took the first foal out of Australian mare Catherine Louise’s record to four wins and seven placings from 23 starts for prize money and bonus earnings of $347,890.
Trained at Mornington in Victoria by David and Coral Feek, Belsielle was bred by Mrs L Mancinelli.
Brazen Beau was a dual G1 winner of the 2014 Coolmore Stud Stakes and the 2015 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington during his brilliant 12-start career.
His progeny have now won 609 races worldwide for prize money in excess of $24.5 million.
Brazen Beau has 11 lots in the catalogue for the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, which commences at Riverside Stables, Warwick Farm on Sunday, 12 February.
Exploring is a tough filly!
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) February 11, 2023
Godolphin win BOTH editions of the Blue Diamond Preludes. @godolphin @CWilliamsJockey pic.twitter.com/c1ZKksMUAE
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